According to a report released Thursday by a home oversight subcommittee, there are significant amounts of arsenic, lead, mercury and other toxic heavy metals in baby foods made by the largest companies of its kind in the United States. .
Why it’s important: Babies and children are more vulnerable to the severe neurotoxic damage caused by toxic heavy metals than adults. The report alleges that the FDA, under the Trump administration, failed to take action after learning of the increased risk of heavy metals in baby food.
- “Exposure to these toxic heavy metals affects babies’ brain and nervous system development, affects their behavior, permanently decreases their IQ and, if it is to be reduced to dollars, their earning potential for all life, “Tom Neltner, director of chemical policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, told the Washington Post.
What they found: Gerber, the first seller of baby food in the United States, “rarely tests for mercury.” According to the report, many of the company’s ingredients contained cadmium, lead and high arsenic products.
- Fageda, the country’s second-largest seller, it routinely uses additives with high arsenic and “many ingredients with high lead content”. The company does not test for mercury in its food.
- Hain Celestial, manufacturer of the best organic foods on Earth, sold finished products with high levels of arsenic and usually did not test the finished products. The company also used “many ingredients with high lead content” and 102 ingredients with cadmium.
- Nourish, manufacturer of Happy Family Organics products, it sold baby food with up to 641 parts per billion (ppb) of lead. Tests by the company found that its typical baby food product contained 60 ppb inorganic arsenic.
By numbers: The FDA set the maximum limit for inorganic arsenic in bottled water at 10 ppb. Beech-Nut used ingredients after testing up to 913 ppb of arsenic, while Hain sold baby food containing up to 129 ppb of arsenic, according to the report.
What they say: The committee’s report accuses manufacturers of “consciously” selling contaminated baby food to suspicious parents, despite the results of the company’s internal tests showing high levels of toxic heavy metals and no warning label. ” said President Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), said in a press release.
- “I look forward to the FDA’s careful regulation of these toxic heavy metals in baby food, followed by strict compliance requirements and mandatory labeling for the consumer,” Krishnamoorthi said.
The FDA said in a statement which is reviewing the report’s findings and “takes exposure to toxic elements in food supply extremely seriously, especially when it comes to protecting the health and safety of the youngest and most vulnerable of the population”.
- “Toxic elements, such as arsenic, are present in the environment and enter the supply of food by land, water or air. As they cannot be completely eliminated, our goal is to reduce exposure to toxic elements in food as much as possible and we have been actively working on this issue through a risk-based approach to prioritize and guide the efforts of the agency, “the agency said.
- “We recognize that there is more work to be done, but the FDA reiterates its strong commitment to continue reducing consumer exposure to toxic elements and other food contaminants.”
Gerber told the Post that he had not seen the report and could not comment on concrete conclusions. Hain did not respond to requests for comment on the post.
- A Beech-Nut spokesman said in a statement to Axios that the company’s food is “safe and nutritious” and that the company is reviewing the report and hopes to continue working with the FDA and the Baby Food Council.
- Happy Family Organics said in a statement that the company is “disappointed by the many inaccuracies, selective use of data and tone bias” in the committee’s report. “We can say with the utmost confidence that all Happy Family Organics products are safe for babies and young children to enjoy,” the spokesman said.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with statements from Happy Family Organics and Beech-Nut.