In this article well discuss the risks associated with it. Underwater Investment: SEC Sues Hawaiian Semisubmersible Company for Privacy Awareness Week Part I- The State of Play. The investigation found internal company standards permit dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals, and manufacturers have often sold foods that exceeded those levels. Unless otherwise noted, attorneys are not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, nor can NLR attest to the accuracy of any notation of Legal Specialization or other Professional Credentials. They should focus first and foremost on eating organic. In a statement, the FDA said it was reviewing the reports findings and noted it takes exposure to toxic elements in the food supply extremely seriously, especially when it comes to children. (4), According to the Congressional Report, Beech-Nut declared that all its raw materials passed internal standards. Youll still need to include these foods in your, , but make sure they arent taken in excess. (4), FDA maximum limits in ppb or parts per billion for infant rice cereal: (5). In fact, we released the data highlighted in this report in February 2021 and published it on our web site at that time. (11)(12), (1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23570911/, (2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4418502/, (3) http://www.healthybabyfood.org/sites/healthybabyfoods.org/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_FULLREPORT_ENGLISH_R5b.pdf, (4) https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/2021-02-04%20ECP%20Baby%20Food%20Staff%20Report.pdf, (5) https://www.fda.gov/food/metals-and-your-food/arsenic-food-and-dietary-supplements, (6) https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/shopping/2021/06/09/beech-nut-baby-food-recall-2021-rice-cereal-arsenic/7621243002/, (7) https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/gerber-issues-allergy-alert-clarify-egg-labeling-cheese-ravioli-pasta-pick-upsr, (8) http://news.gerber.com/news/gerber-is-voluntarily-recalling-two-batches-of-gerberR-organic-2nd-foodsR-pouches, (9) https://fox17.com/news/spotlight-on-america/update-first-court-battle-over-toxic-metals-in-baby-food-set-for-trial-in-2023, (10) https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-01-31/after-baby-formula-scandal-fda-announces-new-unit-focused-on-food-safety, (11) https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/health/fda-lead-baby-food.html, (12) https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/baby-food/fda-proposes-new-limits-for-lead-in-baby-foods-a2167994237/, Motherhood Community is reader supported. } Departments Release Update on No Surprises Act Independent Dispute FY 2024 H-1B Registration Period Indicates 780,884 Registrations; A Look Back at Key Takeaways from RSA Conference 2023. When babies are 7 months to 8 months old, they can eat "2" baby foods, which include single-ingredient and combination foods that are strained instead of pureed. A class action lawsuit filed against two major manufacturers of baby food has named Gerber and Beech-Nut as defendants. While acknowledging that for the majority of heavy metals the FDA has not set thresholds for the level allowed in baby foods (one notable exception is a 100 ppblimitfor arsenic in infant rice cereals), it concluded that commercial baby foods contain dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium . **The case is Shepard et al v Gerber Products 2:21-cv-01977, filed in New Jersey, Feb 5, 2021. It is important to remember that infants and babies consume more food in relation to their body weight and absorb arsenic more readily than adults. ", The FDA announced in April its Closer to Zero plan, which has a goal of reducing exposure to toxic elements in foods eaten by kids and babies "to the lowest possible levels. It also calls out Walmart for weakening its arsenic standard in baby food products, calling the decision "an extreme course reversal on efforts to protect babies' neurological development.". What is the correct way to say Gerber? Yet, the actual results are still several times higher than the, content. The company, known for making healthy baby food, is under fire for selling products that contain toxic metals. (4), According to the Subcommittee, the company provided them with a report declaring that each of the finished products meets criteria.. Pureed vegetables and fruits, sometimes combined with rice cereal and formula, or breastmilk, are the first foods that babies consume. The results of these reports are concerning because even low levels of heavy metalssuch as arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmiumcan be detrimental to babies and growing toddlers. The following results are also from the, in Little Hearts Strawberry Yogurt Cereal Snack, . Below are some of the baby foods that the HBBF report indicated for high levels of mercury: Baby foods least contaminated with toxic metals (in order of least contaminated): The HBBF report recommends parents limit or rotate the following food products to avoid heavy metals: The FDA and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that babies and young children exposed to arsenic, cadmium, lead, and/or mercury may suffer from permanent decreases in IQ, increased risk of future criminal and antisocial behavior, and untreatable, potentially permanent brain damage. Now I'm not going to say that any level of these metals is safe. FoodNavigator-USA readers cansave 10% with Code:D10-825-825FX01, Copyright - Unless otherwise stated all contents of this web site are 2023 - William Reed Ltd - All Rights Reserved - Full details for the use of materials on this site can be found in the Terms & Conditions, Related topics Regulation It may also lead to IQ decrease and antisocial behavior. The company is now investigating the tainted product and is considering how to resolve this issue. vOut = vOut.toLowerCase(); Instead of worrying about food recalls, preparing fresh and, Baby Brezza Small Baby Food Maker Set Cooker and Blender in One. Despite the high levels of heavy metals in their finished products, Nurture admitted that the test results arent used as a basis for product release. in Organic Quinoa Puffs Baby Cereal Snack Apple Kale. Natures Promise Organic Puffs, Broccoli & Spinach Whole Grain (372 ppb), Full Circle Market Multigrain Rice Cakes Organic (355 ppb), Happy BABY Puffs Organic Grain Snack Sweet Potato & Carrot (318 ppb), Hyvee Rice Cakes Whole Grain Salted (302 ppb), WaterMaid Rice Medium Grain Enriched (278 ppb), Lundberg Rice Cake Whole Grain Brown Rice Lightly Salted (208 ppb), Mahatma Rice, Whole Grain Brown (203 ppb), Lundberg Rice Cake Whole Grain Brown Rice No Salt (201 ppb), Liebers Rice Cakes With Salt (196 ppb), Quaker Rice Cakes Lightly Salted 100% Whole Grain (196 ppb), Shop Rite Rice Cakes Lightly Salted 10g Whole Grain Fat Free (193 ppb), Quaker Rice Cakes Lightly Salted (187 ppb), Essential Everyday White Rice (182 ppb), Signature Select Enriched Long Grain Rice (163 ppb), Wegmans White Rice Jasmine Organic (139 ppb), Good & Gather Long Grain Brown Rice (138 ppb), Gerber Rice Cereal Single Grain Supported Sitter 1, Gerber Rice Organic, Single Grain Cereal, Supported Sitter 1, Organics Puffs Purple Carrot and Blueberry (118 ppb), Earths Best Organic Rice Cereal Organic Iron Fortified (109 ppb), Quaker Rice Cakes, Butter Popcorn (110 ppb), Happy BABY Teethers Organic Sweet Potatoes and Bananas (95 ppb), Gerber Teethers Strawberry Apple Spinach (89.1 ppb), Natures Promise Organic Rice Rusks Organic Apple (86.9 ppb), Kroger Rice Long Grain Enriched (80 ppb), Natures Promise Organic Rice Rusks, Organic Apple (79.4 ppb), Gerber Teethers Banana Peach, 7+ Months (73.7 ppb), Happy BABY Teether Crackers Organic Strawberry & Beet (55.2 ppb), Happy BABY Teether Crackers Organic Mango & Pumpkin (52.3 ppb), Happy BABY Teether Crackers Organic Blueberries and Purple Carrots (51.5 ppb), Gerber Puffs Blueberry Crawler (48.8 ppb), Organics Teething Wafers Baked Rice Snack Banana Flavored (43.9 ppb), Gerber Puffs Strawberry Apple Crawler (43.7 ppb), Gerber Puffs Sweet Potato Crawler (41.4 ppb), Gerber Oatmeal Single Grain, Supported Sitter 1, General Mills Cheerios 100% Whole Grain Oats Cereal (34.3 ppb), Kroger Original Oats Instant Oatmeal (30.9 ppb), O Organics Puffs Purple Carrot and Blueberry (22.8 ppb), Birds Eye Green Beans Steamfresh Cut, Frozen (22.4 ppb), Plum Organics Just Sweet Potato Stage 1, 4 Months & Up (18.2 ppb), Earths Best Organic Rice Cereal Organic Iron Fortified (16.4 ppb), Happy BABY Teether Crackers Organic Strawberry & Beet (13.4 ppb), Kroger Rice Long Grain Enriched (139 ppb), Good & Gather Long Grain Brown Rice (107 ppb), O Organics Puffs Purple Carrot and Blueberry (96 ppb), Earths Best Organic Rice Cereal Organic Iron Fortified (44 ppb), John McCann Oatmeal Steel Cut (42.3 ppb), Publix Carrots Baby-Cut Peeled (39.7 ppb), Kroger Original Oats Instant Oatmeal 100% Whole Grain Quick 1 Minute (37.8 ppb), Simple Truth Organic Whole Carrots (29.3 ppb), Gerber Carrot, Natural for Baby, Sitter 2, General Mills Cheerios 100% Whole Grain Oats Cereal (24.4 ppb), Great Value Old Fashioned Oats (21.8 ppb), Essential Everyday White Rice (20.2 ppb), Kroger Oats 100% Whole Grain Quick 1 Minute (19.6 ppb), Mahatma Rice Whole Grain Brown (19.4 ppb), Quaker Rice Cakes Lightly Salted (18.9 ppb), Natures Promise Organic Puffs Broccoli & Spinach Whole Grain (18.6 ppb), O Organics Toasted Os Cereal (16.9 ppb), Signature Select Enriched Long Grain Rice (16.2 ppb), Beech-Nut Whole Grain Baby Cereal (15.3 ppb), Hyvee Rice Cakes Whole Grain Salted (4.8 ppb), Wegmans White Rice Jasmine Organic (4.1 ppb), Mahatma Rice, Whole Grain Brown (3.7 ppb), Essential Everyday White Rice (3.7 ppb), Quaker Rice Cakes, Butter Popcorn (3.6 ppb), Quaker Rice Cakes Lightly Salted 100% Whole Grain (3.4 ppb). The rest of the baby food manufacturers mentioned in the report didnt issue a recall as well. ", As to procurement strategies for high-risk ingredients, she said:"This issue has been and continues to be on the radar of our procurement team. The second Congressional report on baby food revealed that despite Alaskas test results Gerber failed to notify the public and also failed to pull those products from the market. The AAP also has guidelines for parents to help shield their children from toxic heavy metals, which enter food through water and soil as well as from during the manufacturing and packaging processes. In the new report released Wednesday, the subcommittee says Beech-Nut recalled just two of its six infant rice cereal products that tested over the FDA's limit of inorganic arsenic earlier this year, while Gerber did not recall either of its two products that also tested over the limit. This lack of transparency has led many consumers to believe that the company is not committed to making their products safe. Most baby foods are high in sugar, and a high-sugar diet is linked to obesity and tooth decay. Although there are no federally mandated thresholds set for lead, cadmium and mercury in infant foods (the FDA has only set limits for the presence of inorganic arsenic in infant cereals, at 100ppb), the trace levels of heavy metals found in Plum Organics products are excessive," claims Gulkarov. (4), report, Hain admitted that its only using theoretical calculations, not actual, , the company provided them with a report declaring that each of the, But the company reportedly refused to provide their actual, . Gerber. Sitter. While you can puree raw plums, you should bring them to room temperature to improve their texture and taste. (4), Walmart, Sprout, and Campbell refused to cooperate, according to the Congressional Report. The report called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to set maximum levels of toxic heavy metals allowed in baby foods. Step 1 of How to Make Plum Baby Food: Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the skin of ripe plums. Parents should also diversify a babys diet so that no one food dominates, reducing the amount of contamination from one particular product of concern arsenic in infant rice cereal, for example, he noted. But they are important sources of vitamin A and other nutrients. As some of our readers may know, the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy released areporton February 4th2021 which reported on the levels of heavy metals including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury found in baby foods produced by seven of the largest baby food manufacturers in the U.S. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Plum has also become a Certified B Corporation and is committed to environmental sustainability. SNAP EBT eligible. Please fill out our case evaluation contact form or call our lawyers today at (855) 948-5098. However, we have come a long way in reducing these exposures, and in the list of priorities that I would have, there are many other important areas where families can mitigate exposure to contaminants of concern, he noted. googletag.cmd.push(function () { BIG NEWS? This included store-bought baby foods as well as homemade purees. Gerber baby food and baby care is committed to promoting good nutrition and healthy eating habits for children. You can buy a baby food maker set such as the Baby Brezza Small Baby Food Maker Set Cooker and Blender in One or use the appliances you already have in your kitchen in preparing your babys food. Its other products contain high-quality ingredients, such as pear, apple, and banana. Made with fruit that meets Gerber's high quality standards, this non-GMO Gerber baby food stage 2 recipe includes 1/8 banana, 1/4 cup pineapple fruit juice and 2 teaspoons cooked rice for a . Baby food manufacturers must meet government regulations in order to sell their products. For babies who have only been fed breast milk, switching to solids can be difficult. Fortunately, there are many good reasons to stick with Gerber baby food. 11111 Santa Monica Blvd., | Technical / White Paper. The tainted product was found to contain high levels of inorganic arsenic and lead. The agency has failed to adequately regulate baby food NY attorney general urges FDA to set standards for heavy metals, ROHA rebrands its dried ingredients range New Foods & Saraf Foods to OVegi, News & Analysis on Food & Beverage Development & Technology. vOut +=', '; Heavy metals in baby food: How should the food industry respond? USCIS Releases FY2024 Cap Registration Statistics and Announces Another Letter From Congress Complaining About Pharmaceutical Patents. (11)(12). Three others Walmart, Campbell and Sprout Organic Foods didnt cooperate, leaving investigators greatly concerned about what they might be obscuring, the report noted. "We have cooperated with the subcommittee throughout this process and will continue to do so. A recent study by the EPA found that food is a major source of lead in young children. You can use the coupons to save money on your purchases. "While the Subcommittee report notes proposed limits on specific heavy metals, those are based on proposed standards from the Baby Food Safety Act, which are not current law or regulation. These nutrients are necessary for the growth and development of your child. "We are encouraged the FDA launched a collaborative process to establish science-based standards for infant and baby foods and look forward to further guidance. function sanitize_gpt_value2(gptValue) High levels of arsenic, cadmium, and lead were found in fresh carrots and sweet potatoes. Companies can reduce their legal vulnerability by setting up rigorous internal protocols and compliance systems, but after reports like this, food manufacturers will likely be lobbying state and federal agencies to set safe harbor levels, he predicted. They point out leads serious impact on childrens health, including reduced IQ, neurological and developmental impairment, behavior problems, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). (4). The baby food manufacturers named in the report were: (1) Nurture Inc. (which sells Happy Family Organics, including baby food products under the brand name HappyBABY); (2) Beech-Nut Nutrition Company; (3) Hain Celestial Group (which sells baby food products under the brand name Earths Best Organic); (4) Gerber; (5) Campbell Soup Company (which sells baby food products under the brand name Plum Organics); (6) Walmart Inc. (which sells baby food through its private brand Parents Choice); and (7) Sprout Foods, Inc. . Gerber products company The content and links on www.NatLawReview.comare intended for general information purposes only. Proudly powered by WordPress Beech-Nut Nutrition Campbell Soup Co. told ABC News that it continues to "support the FDA's efforts in setting clear and specific science-based federal standards. for (var i=0; i < aTags.length; i++) 8 Fl Oz (Pack of 4) 123. 94% of all food samples tested had detectable amounts of toxic heavy metals. ", "Our specifications have always been aligned with or below the FDA requirements for naturally occurring elements and the FDA noted in April that its testing shows that children 'are not at an immediate health risk to exposure," Walmart said in a statement to ABC News. In addition, Gerber and other brands failed to provide lab evidence. USTR Releases 2023 Special 301 Report on Intellectual Property Washington Signs Into Law an Act for Consumer Health Data Privacy: Dont Look Twice, Its Alright The FCC Pulls Back the Curtain on Trending in Telehealth: April 18 24, 2023. Many were at dangerous levels, higher than the limits set by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). Because heavy metals and other contaminants could greatly affect babies body and brain development, Consumer Reports and the US PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) call for the passing of the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021. *The case is Gulkarov et al v Plum, PBC 3:21-cv-00913 filed in the Northern District of California on Feb 5, 2021. How Many Calories Are in a Taco Salad With Ground Beef and Shell. According to the report, Gerber has failed to disclose the presence of heavy metals in its products, despite its claims to be the worlds most trusted name in baby food. But that isnt the only problem. Canned Fruit Better choices are fresh or frozen. Brands including Gerber, Plum Organics, Beech-Nut and Walmart are named in the report, which calls on baby food manufacturers to begin voluntarily testing their products for toxic heavy metals and to phase out products that contain large amounts of ingredients that test high in toxic heavy metals. var reg = new RegExp('\\W+', "g"); A congressional report found many of the products made by the country's largest commercial baby food manufacturers contain significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead,. Below are some of the baby foods that the HBBF report indicated for high levels of cadmium: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a maximum allowable limit of 2 parts per billion (ppb) mercury in drinking water, yet the levels of mercury in some common baby food is twice that in some cases. The Center has threatened legal action against the company if the claims prove true. If this passes into law, baby food manufacturers will be required to test and disclose their test results to regulators and parents. The lawsuit alleges that the companys baby food pouches contain misleading labeling. attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Hain Celestial Group (Earth's Best Organic), click here for our list of baby foods to avoid from March of 2022, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UPDATED 2022: Baby Foods Toxic Heavy Metals List, Nurture (Happy Family Organics and Happy BABY). $1.99. While there are no federally mandated upper limits for lead, mercury and cadmium in baby foods, the FDA sets maximum allowable levels in bottled water at 10 ppb inorganic arsenic, 5 ppb lead, and 5 ppb cadmium, while the EPA has capped the allowable level of mercury in drinking water at 2 ppb. }); A Campbell Soup spokesperson told FoodNavigator-USA that it intended to defend the case vigorously:Campbell is confident in the safety and quality of our products. if (i!=(aTags.length-1)) Wisner Baum currently represents thousands of parents throughout the nation who allege their children developed autism and/or ADHD after consuming baby foods from the following companies: To better assist parents looking for brands and products to avoid, we have created an updated 2022 baby foods toxic heavy metals list (click here for our list of baby foods to avoid from March of 2022). NEW FOODS & SARAF FOODS are now OVEGI - ROHA Group is excited to announce a new brand name to their dried ingredients range, New Foods & Saraf As predicted, several baby food brands have been hit with class action lawsuits alleging false advertising and violations of state consumer protection laws, following the publication of a congressional committee report raising alarm bells about heavy metals in baby food. Plum Organics was one of the first baby food brands to successfully market organic baby food.
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