# Consumer Reports: These Baby Foods Have Dangerous Heavy Metal Levels > Consumer Reports found heavy metals at worrisome levels in two-thirds of baby foods tested in 2023. A look at company records, specific brand data, and where FDA regulation stands today. - Type: news - Published: 2026-08-08 - Updated: 2026-08-08 - Author: Lucas Gruber - Canonical: https://nontoxicnook.com/articles/consumer-reports-baby-food-heavy-metals Prices are deliberately omitted from this mirror — they go stale. Current prices, stock, and where to buy live on the product pages linked below. --- A June 2023 Consumer Reports investigation found detectable heavy metals in every one of 14 baby food products tested, with roughly two-thirds showing levels classified as "worrisome" by CR's threshold. The findings track closely with the same organization's 2018 study and suggest the problem has not been resolved despite years of public and regulatory attention. ## The investigation The report, "Are There Still Heavy Metals in Baby Food?", published June 27, 2023, tested products from five brands: Beech-Nut Naturals, Earth's Best Organic, Gerber, Happy Baby Organics, and Hot Kid (Baby Mum-Mum). Every product contained measurable levels of at least one of the four metals: arsenic, lead, cadmium, or mercury. The 2023 study builds on CR's earlier 2018 investigation of 50 baby and toddler foods, which found two-thirds of products had combined heavy metal exposure associated with potential health risk. The same proportion held five years later. ## What ppb actually means Heavy metals occur naturally in soil and water, so trace levels appear in most plant-based foods. The unit of measurement is parts per billion (ppb): one microgram of a substance per kilogram of food. For reference, the EPA limits arsenic in drinking water to 10 ppb. The FDA's limit for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal is 100 ppb, a more permissive standard that accounts for the smaller volume of food versus water an infant consumes daily. For lead, no safe threshold has been established. Any reduction in exposure is considered beneficial, particularly during neurological development. Infants face compounded risk compared to adults: they eat more food relative to body weight, absorb certain metals at higher rates, and encounter this exposure during a critical window of brain development. ## What company records showed The February 4, 2021 report from the House Oversight Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy examined internal testing records submitted voluntarily by four companies: Gerber, Beech-Nut, Hain Celestial (Earth's Best), and Nurture (Happy Baby). Three companies declined to provide data: Walmart, Campbell Soup (Plum Organics), and Sprout Organic Foods. The records showed companies routinely identified elevated levels in incoming ingredients and, in many cases, continued to use them: * **Beech-Nut** used ingredients testing as high as 913.4 ppb arsenic, more than nine times the FDA's 100 ppb infant rice cereal limit. The company also accepted 89 ingredient batches containing lead at or above 15 ppb. * **Gerber** shipped 67 batches of rice flour testing above 90 ppb inorganic arsenic. Three-quarters of its carrot batches exceeded 5 ppb cadmium, with some reaching 87 ppb cadmium. * **Hain Celestial (Earth's Best)** used ingredients testing up to 309 ppb arsenic and had six ingredient batches with lead above 200 ppb. A September 2021 follow-up report covering Campbell's Plum Organics found finished products containing up to 225 ppb inorganic arsenic. Ingredient readings are higher than finished-product readings: mixing and processing dilute concentrations. The congressional documents showed, however, that companies flagged exceedances of their own internal standards and in several cases continued using the ingredients regardless. ## Where regulation stands The FDA launched its "Closer to Zero" initiative in April 2021 with a goal of reducing childhood dietary heavy metal exposure as close to zero as possible while maintaining access to nutritious food. Progress has been incremental. **Lead:** Action levels for processed baby foods were finalized January 6, 2025, roughly three years behind the original target. The limits are 10 ppb for most processed baby foods and 20 ppb for root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, beets) and dry infant cereals. **Arsenic:** A 100 ppb limit for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal has been in place since 2020. Broader action levels covering other baby and toddler foods are now targeted for 2026. **Cadmium and mercury:** No action levels have been finalized. FDA guidance is expected in 2026. California acted independently: Assembly Bill 899, effective January 1, 2024, requires baby food manufacturers selling in California to test products monthly for all four metals and publish the results. ## What parents can do The evidence does not support pulling all commercially prepared baby foods from an infant's diet. Heavy metals are present at trace levels in many whole foods too, and consistent nutrition during infancy matters. The most practical steps are to vary the grains a child eats (rice products, including rice cereal and puffed rice snacks, concentrate inorganic arsenic at higher rates than oat, barley, or mixed-grain alternatives) and to store and prepare homemade purees in glass or stainless steel rather than plastic. For storage and feeding containers screened against our material criteria, the [baby food storage guide](/articles/best-non-toxic-baby-food-storage-containers-2026) covers vetted picks from the [product directory](/products). **Sources:** 1. [Are There Still Heavy Metals in Baby Food? — Consumer Reports, June 27, 2023](https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/baby-food/are-heavy-metal-levels-in-baby-foods-getting-better-a1163977621/) 2. [Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury — House Oversight Subcommittee, February 4, 2021](https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/news/press-releases/oversight-subcommittee-staff-report-reveals-top-baby-foods-contain-dangerous) 3. [New Disclosures Show Dangerous Levels of Toxic Heavy Metals in Baby Food — House Oversight Subcommittee, September 29, 2021](https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/news/press-releases/oversight-subcommittee-staff-report-reveals-alarming-levels-of-toxic-heavy) 4. [Closer to Zero: Reducing Childhood Exposure to Contaminants in Foods — FDA](https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/closer-zero-reducing-childhood-exposure-contaminants-foods) 5. [Action Levels for Lead in Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children — FDA, January 6, 2025](https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-action-levels-lead-processed-food-intended-babies-and-young-children) 6. [Human Foods Program 2026 Priority Deliverables — FDA](https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/human-foods-program/human-foods-program-2026-priority-deliverables) 7. [Baby Food Labels and Heavy Metals: California AB 899 — Consumer Reports](https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/baby-food/baby-food-labels-heavy-metals-california-ab899-a5779555429/) --- Nontoxic Nook is an independent guide: every listed product cleared the published criteria at https://nontoxicnook.com/our-promise. This mirror links only to our own pages; affiliate disclosure: https://nontoxicnook.com/affiliate-disclosure.