Baby food brands slammed by lawmakers over toxic heavy metals - Axios

Manufacturers "knowingly" sold baby food that contained heavy metals including arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, according to a House Oversight subcommittee report, published Wednesday.

The big picture: These metals are in the World Health Organization's top 10 chemicals of concern for infants and children, and can affect brain development, according to Harvard Health Publishing. The companies cited in the report either failed to recall contaminated food or were lax in testing, the report found.

Yes, but: Several baby food manufacturers disagreed with the subcommittee's latest assessment, though they said they're committed to working closely with the FDA to address the issue, according to CNN.

Zoom in: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill), the chair of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, called for the food industry to work with the FDA on regulations.

• "Today's report reveals that companies not only under-report the high levels of toxic content in their baby food, but also knowingly keep toxic products on the market," Krishnamoorthi said.

Of note: The report found that Gerber and Beech-Nut were among the companies that failed to properly test their products and call contaminated baby food.

• Gerber's rice cereal's had a higher than average amount of inorganic arsenic than Beech-Nut, according to the report. But while Beech-Nut recalled some products, the panel said Gerber took "no such actions to protect consumers."
• Plum Organics baby foods were allegedly tainted with high levels of toxic heavy metals, with all Super Puff rice-based products tested between 2017 and 2019 containing more than 200 parts per billion (ppb) arsenic, the lawmakers found.

What they're saying: Beech-Nut said it had since "decided to stop selling baby products containing rice" because of arsenic worries, adding it was "concerned about being able to consistently obtain rice flour well-below the FDA guidance level," per Politico.

• A Gerber spokesperson told Politico the firm was reviewing the report.
• "We have set safety and quality standards that are among the strictest in not just the U.S., but the world," the spokesperson continued. "Because Gerber believes in only the highest standards, we have and will continue to fully cooperate with the congressional subcommittee inquiry."

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