About Toxic Baby Food Lawsuits

Parents should be able to expect that the food they purchase to feed their children is safe for consumption.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

A 2021 government report on toxic heavy metals in baby foods has parents rightfully angry, concerned, and looking for answers.

A branch of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform published a report that confirmed that several commercial baby food manufacturers knowingly sold foods containing unsafe levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have identified these metals as dangerous to children’s health, with even low levels of exposure being associated with neurological disorders and other complications and injuries.

What is the Toxic Baby Food MDL?

As a result, a number of Toxic Baby Food Lawsuits have been filed against major baby food companies.

Lawsuits concerning toxic baby foods have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL), a type of federal legal procedure use to group together cases that are similar in fact and circumstance.

The Toxic Baby Food Litigation is centralized in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California as the Baby Food Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3101).

Defendants named in the Toxic Baby Food Autism Lawsuits include:

• Beech-Nut
• Hain (Earth’s Best Organic)
• Gerber (formerly owned by Nestle)
• Nurture Inc. (Happy Family Organics and HappyBABY)

The litigation provides a potential avenue for individuals with toxic baby food claims from across the country to seek compensation and justice in a unified approach.

If your child developed complications after consuming these products, you and your family could be eligible to file a baby food contamination lawsuit.

Contact TorHoerman Law to find out if you qualify for the Baby Food Lawsuit, or use the chatbot on this page for an instant case evaluation.

Dangerous Levels of Heavy Metals Found In Baby Food Products

Concerns over heavy metals in baby food surfaced in recent years, highlighting a significant public health issue.

Independent tests and congressional reports revealed that many popular baby food brands contained alarming levels of toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury.

These discoveries were initially brought to light by a 2019 report from Healthy Babies Bright Futures, which tested 168 baby foods and found that 95% contained heavy metals.

A congressional investigation revealed that four major baby food manufacturers knowingly sold food containing high levels of toxic metals.

The levels dangerously exceed recommendations set by experts and governing bodies, a decision that could have devastating consequences for children who consumed these foods.

The House Oversight Committee said that both the companies and the FDA failed to take proper action.

Documents revealed that the food manufacturers’ standards permit dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals, while many of them also admitted to under testing the amount of metals present.

The investigation also uncovered that the FDA received information in 2019 revealing that the companies’ foods were tainted with toxic metals.

The FDA took no new action in response.

Which Heavy Metals Were Found In Baby Food?

Exposure to the following metals – listed in the World Health Organization’s 10 chemicals of concern for infants and Children – can cause “permanent decreases in IQ, diminished future economic productivity, and increased risk of future criminal and antisocial behavior in children.”

Toxic heavy metal exposure endangers infants’ neurological development and long-term brain functioning.

Testing revealed that tainted baby food contained dangerously high levels of:

• Arsenic
• Cadmium
• Lead
• Mercury

Arsenic in Baby Food

Arsenic is a naturally occurring toxic metal found in the environment, often used in pesticides and industrial processes, and can cause severe health issues, including cancer and neurological damage, when ingested in significant amounts.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), arsenic is ranked number one among substances in the environment that pose the most significant potential threat to human health.

Arsenic has also been proven to have damaging effects on children’s central nervous systems and cognitive development.

For every 50% increase in levels of arsenic exposure, there is an approximately 0.4 IQ decrease for children.

Cadmium in Baby Food

Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal found in the environment, mainly through industrial activities such as mining, smelting, and the production of batteries, plastics, and pigments.

Cadmium can also enter the food supply through the use of phosphate fertilizers and industrial contamination of water and soil.

The presence of cadmium in baby food is particularly concerning due to its severe health risks, especially for developing children.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ranks cadmium as one of the most hazardous substances due to its potential for bioaccumulation and toxicity.

Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of cadmium due to their higher absorption rates and developing bodily systems.

Regular consumption of baby foods contaminated with cadmium can lead to significant health problems.

Lead in Baby Food

Lead is a highly toxic metal that can be found in various environmental sources, including industrial emissions, lead-based paints, contaminated soil, and old plumbing systems.

In recent years, concerns have risen about its presence in baby food due to contamination during the food production process.

The presence of lead in baby food is particularly alarming because even low levels of lead exposure can have serious health implications for infants and young children, whose bodies and brains are still developing.

Infants and young children are particularly vulnerable to lead toxicity because their bodies absorb lead more readily than adults.

Even low levels of exposure have proven to be hazardous, particularly for infants and children.

The cognitive effects of early exposure appear to be long-term, with studies showing adults who were exposed during childhood to have persistent cognitive defects.

Mercury in Baby Food

Mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal that poses significant health risks, particularly for infants and young children.

Mercury is found naturally in the environment but is also released through industrial activities, such as coal burning and mining. In the context of baby food, mercury contamination can occur through the environment where food ingredients are grown and processed.

Exposure to mercury through contaminated baby food can lead to several severe health issues.

How Does Heavy Metal Contamination in Baby Food Happen?

Heavy metal contamination in baby food primarily occurs due to environmental pollution and agricultural practices.

Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury can enter the food supply through contaminated soil and water used to grow crops.

Industrial activities, such as mining and smelting, release these metals into the environment, where they can accumulate in food plants and animals​.

Contamination can also occur during the manufacturing process if equipment or packaging contains heavy metals.

What Specific Baby Food Brands Contain Heavy Metals?

Several baby food brands have been found to contain heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury, through various governmental investigations and compliance testing.

The House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy conducted an investigation that revealed significant levels of these toxic metals in popular baby food products.

The following major baby food brands were found to contain heavy metals:

• Gerber Baby Food: Found to have high levels of lead and cadmium in certain products​.
• Beech-Nut Nutrition Company: Detected with elevated levels of arsenic and lead.
• Happy Family Organics (Nurture): Contained high levels of arsenic and mercury in some baby food items.
• Earth’s Best Organic (Hain Celestial Group): Found with significant levels of lead and cadmium​.
• Plum Organics: Contained detectable levels of arsenic and cadmium​.
• Sprout Organic Foods: Had elevated levels of heavy metals including lead and cadmium.

Gerber Baby Food

Gerber, a prominent baby food brand owned by Nestlé, has been found to contain dangerous levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium in its products.

The congressional investigation revealed that Gerber’s baby foods often used rice flour containing arsenic levels nine times higher than the safe limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb), reaching over 90 ppb in some batches.

Gerber products were found to contain lead levels as high as 48 ppb, significantly exceeding the FDA’s acceptable limit of 5 ppb.

The investigation also showed that approximately 75% of the carrots used in Gerber products had cadmium levels exceeding safe limits, with some samples containing up to 87 ppb.

Gerber was found to have rarely tested for mercury and only tested ingredients rather than finished products.

Despite these findings, Gerber argued that regulatory decisions regarding acceptable levels of heavy metals should fall under the FDA’s jurisdiction.

Beech Nut Nutrition Company

Beech-Nut, another major baby food brand, has faced significant scrutiny for its products containing high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium.

The congressional investigation revealed that Beech-Nut’s baby foods contained alarmingly high concentrations of these toxic metals, far exceeding acceptable safety limits.

For instance, some raw ingredients tested had arsenic levels as high as 913.4 parts per billion (ppb), while lead levels reached up to 886.9 ppb.

These levels are significantly higher than the FDA’s acceptable limits for heavy metals in food​.

Happy Family Organics (Nurture)

Happy Family Organics, also known as Nurture, Inc., has been implicated in the ongoing concerns over heavy metal contamination in baby foods.

Investigations and reports have highlighted the presence of toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury in several of their products.

The congressional report found that nearly 20% of Nurture’s finished baby food products contained lead levels exceeding 10 parts per billion (ppb), with some products testing as high as 641 ppb​.

Their products contained arsenic levels far above the internal threshold of 100 ppb set by the company, with items like the Happy Baby Apple & Broccoli Puffs reaching up to 180 ppb.

Earth’s Best Organic (Hain Celestial Group)

Earth’s Best Organic, produced by Hain Celestial Group, has been scrutinized for containing high levels of toxic heavy metals in its baby food products.

Investigations revealed that several of their products contained significant amounts of arsenic, lead, and cadmium.

Internal documents showed that Hain used ingredients with arsenic levels as high as 309 parts per billion (ppb), far exceeding the FDA’s safe limit of 10 ppb for bottled water.

Finished products also contained lead levels up to 352 ppb, significantly above the FDA’s maximum safe level of 5 ppb for drinking water.

Plum Organics

Plum Organics, previously owned by Campbell Soup Company and now part of Sun-Maid, has been found to manufacture and sell contaminated baby foods.

Investigations revealed that several Plum Organics products contained arsenic, lead, and cadmium at levels far exceeding safety limits set by the FDA.

For instance, between 2017 and 2019, all of Plum’s Super Puff rice-based products tested at or above 200 parts per billion (ppb) arsenic, with some products reaching up to 470 ppb.

This is significantly higher than the FDA’s maximum allowable level of 10 ppb for arsenic in bottled water​.

Lead contamination in Plum Organics products was also notable, with over half of the tested products containing lead levels exceeding the FDA’s safe limit of 5 ppb for drinking water, reaching up to 225 ppb in some cases.

Around 38% of their products tested above the FDA’s maximum cadmium limit of 5 ppb.

Sprout Organic Foods

Sprout Organic Foods has been found to contain alarmingly high levels of toxic heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury, in their baby food products.

Internal documentation showed that many of Sprout’s baby foods had heavy metal content far above the FDA’s safe limits, with some products containing up to 91 times the acceptable level of arsenic and up to 177 times the permissible lead level.

Sprout Organic Foods did not cooperate with the congressional investigation, which has led to concerns that their products might contain even higher levels of heavy metals than reported.

What Types of Baby Food Contain Heavy Metals?

Specific foods that have tested positive for high levels of heavy metals include carrots, sweet potatoes, infant rice cereal, rice puff snacks, and potentially some fruit juices.

The heavy metal contamination often results from the natural absorption of metals from soil and water, as well as from industrial pollution and the use of contaminated ingredients.

Specific food products containing heavy metals include:

• Carrots
  • Gerber Sweet Potato Supported Sitter 1st Foods
  • Plum Organics Just Sweet Potato Stage 1, 4 Months & Up
  • Beech-Nut Naturals Jar (Sweet Potato)
  • Gerber Natural for Baby Veggiepower Tub (Pea Carrot Spinach)
• Sweet Potatoes
  • Gerber Tub (Sweet Potato Turkey with Whole Grains Dinner)
  • Earth’s Best Organic Jar (Sweet Potato, Squash & Chicken)
  • Happy BABY Teether Crackers Organic Sweet Potatoes and Bananas
• Infant Rice Cereal
  • Gerber Rice Cereal Single Grain Supported Sitter 1st Foods
  • Earth’s Best Organic Rice Cereal Organic Iron Fortified
• Rice Puff Snacks
  • Happy BABY Puffs Organic Grain Snack Sweet Potato & Carrot
  • Gerber Puffs Blueberry Crawler
  • Gerber Puffs Banana Crawler
  • Gerber Puffs Strawberry Apple Crawler
  • Happy BABY Teethers Organic Sweet Potatoes and Bananas

Health Effects of Heavy Metals in Baby Food Products

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not set standards for the minimum levels of heavy metals in baby foods.

However, the health effects of consuming these toxic substances are well-documented and serious.

Studies have shown that even low levels of these metals can affect a child’s brain development, potentially leading to cognitive impairments and behavioral issues such as ADHD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

When discussing the health impacts of heavy metals in baby food, it’s important to differentiate between the broad spectrum of potential health effects and the specific injuries that potentially qualify for inclusion into the Toxic Baby Food litigation.

Exposure to toxic heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury in baby food can result in a range of serious health effects, including:

• Cognitive impairments
• Behavioral issues
• Neurological damage
• Developmental delays
• Increased risk of cancer
• Cardiovascular issues
• Immune system suppression

Specific Conditions in the Toxic Baby Food Litigation

The specific conditions included in the baby food litigation are selected due to the strong scientific evidence linking heavy metal exposure to these particular disorders.

The focus on these specific health issues helps streamline the litigation process and allows for more targeted and effective legal arguments.

Conditions and health effects that may qualify for legal action include:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Cognitive deficits
• Neurological issues
• Behavioral disorders

Symptoms of Exposure to Heavy Metals in Baby Food

Exposure to heavy metals in baby food can result in a variety of serious health issues, particularly affecting infants and young children due to their developing bodies and brains.

Chronic exposure to these toxic metals can lead to significant cognitive and behavioral problems, as well as physical health issues.

Symptoms often include developmental delays, learning difficulties, and behavioral problems such as hyperactivity and inattention.

Physically, children may experience gastrointestinal issues, anemia, and compromised immune function.

These symptoms can have long-lasting impacts on a child’s overall health and development.

Common Symptoms of Heavy Metal Exposure:

• Developmental Delays: Slow physical, cognitive, and emotional development.
• Learning Difficulties: Problems with memory, attention, and problem-solving.
• Behavioral Problems: Hyperactivity, inattention, and increased irritability.
• Gastrointestinal Issues: Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
• Anemia: Low red blood cell count, leading to fatigue and weakness.
• Neurological Damage: Tremors, headaches, and sensory disturbances.
• Immune System Suppression: Increased susceptibility to infections and illnesses.

Filing A Toxic Baby Food Lawsuit

If your child was exposed to unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals in baby foods, you could be eligible for a toxic baby food lawsuit.

If you have any questions or concerns, you are welcome to reach out to TorHoerman Law for a free, no-obligation case consultation.

You can also use the chatbot on this page to find out if you qualify to file a Toxic Baby Food Lawsuit instantly.

Baby Food Lawyers help families through the legal process, completing crucial steps such as gathering evidence and assessing damages.

Gathering Evidence for Toxic Baby Food Lawsuits

Evidence is the cornerstone of successful product liability lawsuits.

Gathering and retaining relevant and solid evidence can help increase your chances of receiving compensation in the Baby Food Autism Lawsuits.

This is a step in the process you can begin on your own, but your law firm will also help you to gather and retain crucial evidence.

Possible evidence in a Baby Food Autism Lawsuit may include:

• Medical records
• Lab results showing heavy metal exposure levels
• Purchase receipts of contaminated baby food products
• Expert testimony linking heavy metal exposure to autism or other developmental disorders
• Test results from baby food products showing contamination
• Developmental assessments and educational reports
• Scientific studies and reports on heavy metals in baby food and their health impacts

Damages in Toxic Baby Food Lawsuits

Damages are the total amount of losses, economic and non-economic, incurred as a result of consuming baby food contaminated with heavy metals and the development of related issues.

Your lawyer can help you to assess and calculate damages in your Baby Food Lawsuit.

Possible damages in Baby Food Autism Lawsuits may include:

• Medical expenses
• Costs for specialized therapies and treatments
• Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Costs for special education and tutoring
• Compensation for reduced quality of life

Do You Qualify for the Toxic Baby Food Lawsuit?

You and your family might have a valid claim if your child consumed baby food products and subsequently developed autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, brain damage, or other injuries or complications.

In April 2024, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) approved the formation of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) to handle the mass amount of legal claims relating to the presence of heavy metals in certain baby foods.

The Toxic Baby Food Litigation is centralized in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California as the Baby Food Products Liability Litigation (MDL 3101).

Defendants named in the Toxic Baby Food MDL include:

• Beech-Nut
• Hain (Earth’s Best Organic)
• Gerber (formerly owned by Nestle)
• Nurture Inc. (Happy Family Organics and HappyBABY)

TorHoerman Law: Toxic Baby Food Lawyers

Our law firm specializes in a variety of toxic tort lawsuits.

We will help you and your family navigate the legal system and help you build the best case possible.

We offer free, zero-obligation case consultations for all potential clients.

We also work on contingency fees, meaning we don’t charge our clients until they have received compensation.

Our dedicated team of attorneys has more than a century of combined legal experience.

Our staff has served thousands of clients nationwide and we are ready to serve you.

Contact a toxic baby food lawyer at TorHoerman today to learn about your potential case and legal options today.

You can also use the chat function on this page for an instant case evaluation to find out if you qualify for the Toxic Baby Food Lawsuit instantly.