Child Safety

Baby food manufacturers obviously put a lot of emphasis on the healthy and nutritious aspects of their products. But what about harmful ingredients?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken steps to rid baby food products of dangerous levels of lead. That’s right, lead.

“For more than 30 years, the FDA has been working to reduce exposure to lead, and other environmental contaminants, from foods,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf. “This work has resulted in a dramatic decline in lead exposure from foods since the mid-1980s.”

The FDA has announced new guidance for the industry to reduce exposure to lead in food marketed for babies under the age of two. The draft guidance is aimed at significantly reducing lead content. 

Califf says the action will result in setting the bar for lead exposure “closer to zero.” He says manufacturers have embraced the new standards.

27% reduction

“For babies and young children who eat the foods covered in today’s draft guidance, the FDA estimates that these action levels could result in as much as a 24% to 27% reduction in exposure to lead from these foods,” Califf said.

“That’s great,” said U.S. PIRG Education Fund Consumer Watchdog Teresa Murray. “But given everything physicians and scientists know about the irreversible damage caused when young children are exposed to toxic metals, why wasn’t this a priority long ago? And why did it take a kick in the pants from Congress?”

Murray notes that the FDA’s “closer to zero” plan was released a month after a House subcommittee released a report that showed that four of the seven largest baby food manufacturers had been selling baby food with potentially dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals. 

“The FDA estimates its new lead limits could reduce exposure to lead from these foods by 24% to 27%. Over what period of time?” Murray asked. “Babies don’t have time. Those of us with children know they grow up fast. The FDA should adopt and enforce the new limits as soon as possible.”

Food that’s covered by the guidance

Food covered in the FDA’s draft guidance includes processed foods, such as food packaged in jars, pouches, tubs and boxes and intended for babies and young children less than two years old. 

Under the guidance, lead would be limited to 10 parts per billion (ppb) for fruits, vegetables, mixtures, yogurts and custards/puddings and single-ingredient meats. Limits would be higher for vegetables and dry cereals.

Consumers may be surprised to learn that other manufactured food contain lead and other heavy metals. In December researchers at Consumer Reports (CR) reported finding cadmium and lead, two heavy metals, in the dark chocolate bars they tested. 

Consuming just small amounts of those metals on a regular basis could lead to health problems in both children and adults,” researchers said.

ParentsTogether, a national parent-led organization that helps highlight some of the biggest parenting issues, has released its first Dangerous Tech Toys List just in time for the holidays. 

With many popular gifts this holiday season requiring an internet connection, this also increases the risk of digital privacy concerns – especially among some of the youngest kids. As this list makes clear, even gifts you may not consider toys or don’t think of as dangerous come with cybersecurity risks. 

“This guide isn’t a ‘what not to buy list,’” the organization writes. “No toy or device that connects to the internet can be made completely safe because tech companies haven’t designed their products with children’s safety in mind. Instead, our goal is to help parents learn what dangers might be associated with certain toys and how to keep kids of all ages safer while they play.” 

Breaking down the risks by age

ParentsTogether broke down the list by different age groups, and which internet or Bluetooth-connected gifts might come with privacy risks. 

Preschool Kids: 

• eKids Paw Patrol Walkie Talkies

• The Singing Machine Kids Karaoke Machine

Elementary Kids: 

• Amazon Fire HD Kids Pro Edition

• KidKraft Amazon Alexa 2-in-1 Kitchen & Market 

• VTech KidiZoom Creator Cam

Teens: 

• Meta Quest VR Headset

• Hidrate Spark PRO Smart Water Bottle

• HiMirror Slide Smart Face Mirror with LED Light, Skin Analyzer, and Video and Music Streaming

All Ages: 

• YouTube Premium Subscription

• Any Internet-Connected Device – Tablets, Smartphones, Computers, Smartwatches

What are the biggest risks?

While each gift comes with its own set of privacy risks, there was some overlap among many of the biggest concerns. 

Another big risk with many of these gifts is related to predators or hackers. When they’re connected to unsecured WiFi networks, or stay connected to Bluetooth when not in use, they can become vulnerable to hackers. This can be dangerous when kids are playing with these toys by themselves and can’t spot red flags that can compromise their safety and well-being. 

With other items, ParentsTogether worries about mental health impacts. For example, the YouTube Premium subscription makes it all too easy for kids to get sucked into excessive screen time, while the Smart Mirror mimics social media filters, which can affect kids’ body images. 

While there is no way to escape gifts that connect to the internet or Bluetooth, understanding the risks and knowing how to combat them as much as possible, is the best course of action. Information on these popular gifts can help parents keep their kids safe – while also having fun – this holiday season. 

Read ParentsTogether’s full list of dangerous tech toys here. 

What started out as a lawsuit against baby food company Beech-Nut has mushroomed into an all-out campaign to get the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to pick up the pace with setting mandatory limits on levels of toxic heavy metals in baby food. 

More than 100 organizations -- ranging from pediatricians to environmental councils and 22 state learning disabilities associations -- wrote FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock expressing their collective concern that the current implementation date the agency established is too lax and doesn’t set firm enough standards.

Under the FDA’s proposal, final levels for some metals may not be set until 2024, and deadlines have not been proposed at all for two metals, mercury and cadmium. 

“While we share FDA’s commitment to reducing the presence of toxic metals in food consumed by children, we urge FDA to set clear and more urgent deadlines for action.” the group wrote. “Each day, 10,000 babies start eating solid food. If the FDA waits until 2024 or later to set final levels food companies must meet, millions of babies will be exposed to metals that threaten their health and development.”

U.S. Congress is also taking up the issue

In a separate effort, an investigation by a House subcommittee found that several brands of widely sold baby foods were tainted with dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.

Those findings led Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) to introduce legislation called the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021. If approved, the Act would provide a temporary fix by setting rigorous interim limits for toxic metals in baby food within one year.

The legislation also calls for a formal review every five years to reevaluate if the agreed-upon levels of heavy metals should be lowered further.

How do heavy metals get into baby food?

If you’re a parent, you may be asking yourself how toxic chemicals get into baby food in the first place. And, more importantly, what can be done to prevent it? ConsumerAffairs asked Clean Label Project Executive Director Jackie Bowen that very question.

“It is important to recognize the impact that our societal choices have on both the environment and our health. Although some heavy metals are naturally occurring in the earth’s crust, human causes including mining, fracking, industrial agriculture, and wastewater used for irrigation exacerbate the problem,” Bowen explained.

“These heavy metals — in the form of pollution — end up in the air, the water, and the soil. Plants have no choice but to suck up the contaminants in the ground. If ingredient sources go unchecked by baby food brands, these contaminated plants will end up in the finished products being consumed by the most vulnerable populations.”

Charlotte Brody, the national director for Healthy Babies Bright Future and a registered nurse, also raised a concerning historical perspective. 

“Lead was banned in paint and gasoline in the U.S. almost 50 years ago. So parents are right to be asking why the FDA needs three years to set an action level for lead in baby food,” she told ConsumerAffairs.