The case against Beech-Nut looks to cover anyone in the U.S. who purchased the Beech-Nut products mentioned above for household or business use (and not for resale) anytime since October 1, 2015. New report finds toxic heavy metals in popular baby foods. Exposure to heavy metals in particular has been linked to behavioral impairments, brain damage and even death. They also found perchlorate, a rocket fuel chemical, inside baby food & infant formula used as an “anti-static” agent. Moreover, it was discovered that all the responding companies except Nurture only test heavy metal levels in the baby foods’ ingredients, not in the final products sold to consumers, the report stated. The investigation was spurred by the release of an October 2019 report by Healthy Babies Bright Futures titled “What’s in my baby’s food?” in which the non-profit claimed that 95 percent of 168 tested baby foods contained “toxic chemicals,” including arsenic and lead. Gerber Products Company and the Hain Celestial Group have been hit with two more lawsuits filed on February 12 and 13, respectively. Despite these representations, Plum “knew or should have known” that its baby foods contained undisclosed levels of heavy metals, the lawsuit charges, and has “intentionally omitted” the presence of these toxins in order to mislead consumers into purchasing its products. as secret, saying the goal was to discuss reducing metals in finished products. The report called on the F.D.A. Robin Shallow, a spokeswoman for Hain, said that the company stopped using brown rice in rice cereals in September 2020, though brown rice is present in “very small amounts” in other products. By comparison, the F.D.A. Companies rarely test baby food for contaminants before sending the jars to retail shelves. Before commenting, please review our comment policy. “It is critical that our government take immediate action to protect our children from these negative health consequences,” the New York Attorney General wrote, stating she was “deeply concerned” by the report and the government’s “dangerous” lack of regulation in the baby food industry. The effects of these practices pose “serious risks” for the health of our nation’s infants and young children, the letter stated. Representatives of Hain told regulators that testing only individual ingredients in baby food led to an underestimate of the content of heavy metals in the final product. Manufacturers rarely test ingredients for mercury. Tests of 168 baby foods by an advocacy group found 95% contain toxic metals that can lead a loss of IQ and developmental delays in infants. Exposure from several sources can lead to cumulative effects that are dangerous to infants, she added. Healthy-sounding snacks like Nurture Happy Baby’s apple and broccoli puffs, or its strawberry and beet puffs, contained high levels of arsenic, according to the report. According to the letter, the FDA sets limits on toxic metals in other consumer products, such as bottled water, juice and candy, but has failed to do so when it comes to baby food. According to the report, not only do the companies’ internal standards permit “dangerously high levels” of toxic heavy metals, but documents revealed that baby food products were still sold even when they exceeded those levels. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois, who is chairman of the subcommittee, said the failure to provide the requested information “raises the concern that perhaps they have evidence of even higher metallic content in their baby foods, compared to their competitors.”. Erin works primarily on ClassAction.org’s newswire, reporting on cases as they happen. Getty Images. “Baby food manufacturers are free to set their own internal standards for toxic heavy metal content of their products,” the report states. Gerber, Happy Baby, Earth’s Best and others were aware of toxic heavy metals in baby food, US House Oversight report says, urging regulators to set maximum levels of toxic metals permitted and make testing finished products mandatory. You can dump what you have and move on without it. This browser does not support PDFs. Per the congressional report, arsenic, lead and cadmium were present in baby foods made by all four of the companies who responded to the committee’s request, including Nurture, Inc., which sells Happy Family Organics; Hain Celestial Group, which sells baby food products under the brand name Earth’s Best Organic; Beech-Nut; and Gerber. The report, by a subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, drew on data from four companies that responded to requests for information about testing policies and test results regarding their products. Toxic metals in baby food: How worried should parents be about commercial baby foods that contain heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium. Among the metals, lead was the worst offender, appearing in 94 percent of the baby foods tested. Per the congressional report, arsenic, lead and cadmium were present in baby foods made by all four of the companies who responded to the committee’s request, including Nurture, Inc., which sells Happy Family Organics; Hain Celestial Group, which sells baby food products under the brand name Earth’s Best Organic; Beech-Nut; and Gerber. Following the report’s release, the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy in November 2019 requested internal documents and test results from seven of the largest baby food manufacturers. Some Earth’s Best products contained arsenic and other contaminants, Congressional investigators said on Thursday. The company used cinnamon that contained 886.9 p.p.b. “No level of exposure to these metals has been shown to be safe in vulnerable infants,” said Linda McCauley, dean of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, who studies environmental health effects. Gemma Hart, a spokeswoman for Nurture, said that Happy Family products were safe and that the metals, which are naturally found in soil and water, were present only in “trace amounts.”. (CBSDFW.COM) – A recent congressional report reveals that ingredients in many baby foods contain dangerously high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium. The lawsuits allege the defendants knew or should have known that the levels of heavy metals in their baby foods were “multiples higher” than the amounts allowed under existing regulations for other products yet failed to warn consumers who, relying on the companies’ reputations and representations, assumed the products were safe for their babies. The subcommittee further noted that Campbell Soup Company, which sells baby food under the brand name Plum Organics); Walmart, Inc., which sells baby food through its private label Parent’s Choice; and Sprout Foods, Inc. “refused to cooperate” with the investigation. The lawsuit against Gerber alleges that the company claims to be “the world’s most trusted name in baby food” while showing “reckless indifference” to consumers’ right to know about the potential presence of harmful heavy metals in the manufacturer’s baby food. According to the case against Plum, the company’s advertised mission is to “nourish little ones with the very best food from the very first bite.” Plum allegedly claims to use “the best ingredients” and include “only” the healthy fruits, vegetables and grains pictured on the foods’ front labels. The investigators said the agency should require baby food manufacturers to test finished products, not just ingredients, for heavy metals; report the test results on food labels so consumers can see them; and phase out ingredients like rice, which may be loaded with heavy metals. Though we can’t say for sure, it’s possible that more lawsuits will be filed against the companies who were the subject of the congressional subcommittee’s report. The lawsuit looks to cover anyone who purchased Beech-Nut’s baby food products in the U.S. for personal/household use during the applicable statute of limitations period, with two state-specific subclasses for those who did so in New York and Pennsylvania. Please download the PDF to view it: Download PDF. Gerber baby food products are seen on a supermarket shelf in New York City. While heavy metals do occur naturally in some grains and vegetables, the amounts may be increased when food manufacturers add other ingredients to baby food, like enzymes and vitamin and mineral mixes that are heavily tainted with metals, the report said. The agency does regulate lead in bottled water, juice and candy, and limits arsenic and cadmium in bottled water, as well. A report released Thursday found 95% of baby foods are contaminated with one or more toxic heavy metals. As explained in the case against Gerber, exposure to heavy metals can have debilitating effects on a child’s brain development and long-term function. Manufacturers still approved the products for sale, however, because the FDA doesn’t set limits for heavy metals in baby foods except for inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal. File photo of a baby and mother. “Consumers can’t figure it out on their own.”. Gerber, whose baby foods were among those tested in the report, says it regularly tests its food and is committed to cutting “heavy metal levels to as low as possible.” The company takes steps to minimize the metals in its products, said Dana Stambaugh, a spokeswoman, adding: “The health and safety of babies is our highest priority.”. Commercial baby foods are often tainted with “significant levels” of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, according to a congressional report. Proposed class action lawsuits continue to roll in following last Thursday’s congressional report revealing high levels of toxic heavy metals in popular baby foods. Popular baby foods may contain dangerous levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury, according to a Congressional report released Thursday.. Their report underscored the federal government’s persistently lax approach to overseeing the safety of baby food, some experts said, despite clear risks to infants and toddlers. If it makes you feel better, cereal is completely unnecessary for a baby. According to the lawsuits, Beech-Nut, Gerber and Plum won consumers’ trust through false representations while failing to disclose that their products contained potentially harmful levels of toxic chemicals. In a new investigation released, close to 200 baby foods were tested across the United States and 95% of them contained one or more heavy metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium or mercury. Citing the congressional report, the letter noted that in the absence of regulation, baby food manufacturers have set their own standards for heavy metal levels and at times have even sold food that failed to meet their internal requirements. Three more lawsuits were filed on February 11 against Nurture, Inc., Campbell Soup Company, and Beech-Nut Nutrition Company, respectively, over their apparent failure to disclose the presence of toxic heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, in their baby food products. in bottled water, the agency has said. on Aug. 1, 2019. Sprout Foods, Inc. (Sprout Organic Foods). Another lawsuit was filed against Beech-Nut Nutrition Company over its apparent failure to disclose the presence of toxic heavy metals in its baby food products while representing that the items were safe and healthy. Beech-Nut, which used ingredients with high levels of arsenic to improve qualities like “crumb softness” in some products, set very liberal thresholds for arsenic and cadmium in its additives, according to the report: 3,000 p.p.b. in bottled water, 50 p.p.b. Representatives of Walmart and Campbell Soup disputed the characterization, saying the companies had responded to requests for information, although they acknowledged they did not provide testing data. The agency “has been AWOL” and has “completely put its head in the sand and not done anything to regulate the industry,” Mr. Krishnamoorthi said. She also disputed the characterization of the meeting with the F.D.A. has said that lead should not exceed 5 p.p.b. in candy. The report … FDA failed to warn consumers of risk. “secret” industry presentation to the F.D.A. Sprout did not respond to a request for comment. (NEXSTAR) — A host of top baby foods are contaminated with heavy metals, a new congressional report found. Two companies that did so — Nurture, which makes Happy Family Organics products, and Hain Celestial, which produces Earth’s Best Organic foods — found inorganic arsenic at levels exceeding 100 parts per billion, the limit proposed by the F.D.A. The investigators cited Gerber, one of the world’s best-known baby food manufacturers, for using ingredients with high levels of lead and for selling carrots with high levels of cadmium. The lawsuit against Beech-Nut includes the following products: The lawsuit against Gerber includes the following products: The lawsuit against Plum includes the following products, though the plaintiff reserves the right to add additional items if it’s discovered that they contain heavy metals: All three proposed class actions were filed the day after the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy released a report detailing the results of an investigation into heavy metal levels in some of the most popular baby food products. Mercury was present in baby food made by Nurture, which was the only one of the four responding companies who regularly tests for the metal, … HBBF tested 13 different types of foods in 168 baby food containers from 61 brands, including popular names such as Gerber, Beech-Nut, Earth's Best, Parents Choice and Enfamil. For example, inorganic arsenic ranged from 28 percent to 93 percent higher in Hain’s finished baby food than had been estimated by tests of the individual ingredients. Consumer Reports’ testing into heavy metals in baby food shows concerning levels of cadmium, inorganic arsenic, and lead in many popular baby and toddler foods. At least three proposed class actions have been filed against the makers of popular baby food products after a congressional report released Thursday found high levels of heavy metals in products made by seven of the country’s largest baby food manufacturers. If the cases move forward and settle, that’s when “class members,” i.e., the people who fall into the categories mentioned above, would be notified of the settlement and given a chance to claim whatever compensation the court deems appropriate. Beech-Nut, one suit says, represents that its products are “natural” and appropriate for specific age groups within the listed “Stage.” Moreover, the case claims, Beech-Nut labels state the products are “Real Food for Babies” while “misleadingly omitt[ing]” the presence of heavy metals and perchlorate, “a potentially dangerous contaminant that poses health risks to babies and children.”. ... Beech-Nut and Gerber… Meanwhile, Gerber and Hain failed to disclose that their popular baby food products contained levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury considered to be unsafe for consumption, the suits claim. According to the suits, consumers would not have purchased the defendants’ products had they been aware of the presence of heavy metals in the food. “This is an endemic problem that’s been swept under the rug and never addressed,” said Tracey Woodruff, director of the program on reproductive health and the environment at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the preparation of the congressional report. Investigators also described what they called a “secret” industry presentation to the F.D.A. for arsenic in snacks called “puffs,” which exceeded that limit. Testing found high levels of arsenic, lead and cadmium in some ingredients, congressional investigators said. If you’re interested in taking legal action, you may want to consider reaching out to an attorney in your area for a free initial consultation. Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization have declared the four heavy metals to be “dangerous to human health,” particularly to babies and children, “who are most vulnerable to their neurotoxic effects,” the lawsuit against Beech-Nut states. The levels of toxic metals in the products far exceed the limit the US Food and Drug Administration has set for other products like bottled water, the report says. In a statement, Beech-Nut Nutrition did not address the specific amounts but sought to reassure parents that the company had “rigorous testing protocols and strict standards in place.”. It also recommends that parents not use teething biscuits that can contain heavy metals and cause tooth decay. Nurture appeared to disregard its own internal “goal threshold” of 100 p.p.b. Investigators reserved their harshest criticism for three other companies that did not provide the requested information: Walmart, which sells Parents’ Choice and Parent’s Choice Organic products; Sprout Organic Foods; and Campbell Soup Company, maker of Plum Organics baby foods. spokesman said that the agency had been working toward reducing toxins in foods, and that setting the limit on inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal was the first step toward doing so, though the limit has been criticized by expert groups as too high. An F.D.A. Parents should not give babies juice to drink, the group says, and should provide a variety of fruits and vegetables, so as to minimize exposure to carrots and sweet potatoes, which may be high in lead and cadmium. The suit looks to cover New York and Wyoming residents who purchased the defendant’s flavored rice puffs within the applicable statute of limitations. NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A new government report found several baby food products contain toxic heavy metals. The group issued a report in 2019 on heavy metals in baby foods. The lawsuit against Plum looks to cover anyone who purchased the Plum products named above for household or business use (and not for resale) anytime since February 5, 2015. of cadmium in additives like vitamin mix, and 5,000 p.p.b. The panel examined baby foods made by Nurture, Hain Celestial Group, Beech-Nut Nutrition and Gerber, a unit of Nestle, it said, adding that it … The lawsuit against Nurture, which sells baby food under its Happy Baby Organics brand, concerns flavored rice puffs that the case says the company deceptively represented as safe and healthy for young children despite the fact that the foods contain heavy metals. Beech-Nut Rice Single Grain Baby Cereal – Stage 1, Beech-Nut Organics Oatmeal Whole Grain Baby Cereal – Stage 1, Beech-Nut Organics Pear, Kale, & Cucumber, Beech-Nut Organics Apple, Raspberries, & Avocado, Beech-Nut Organics Apple, Kiwi, & Spinach, Beech-Nut Organics Banana, Cinnamon, & Granola, Beech-Nut Classics Sweet Carrots – Stage 2, Beech-Nut Organics Just Carrots – Stage 1, Beech-Nut Naturals Just Sweet Potatoes – Stage 1, Beech-Nut Organics Just Sweet Potatoes – Stage 1, Beech-Nut Classics Sweet Potatoes – Stage 2, Beech-Nut Naturals Just Butternut Squash – Stage 1, Beech-Nut Naturals Beets, Pear & Pomegranate – Stage 2, Beech-Nut Naturals Sweet Corn and Green Beans, Beech-Nut Naturals Apple and Blackberries, Beech-Nut Naturals Pineapple, Pear, and Avocado, Beech-Nut Naturals Apple, Pumpkin, and Cinnamon, Beech-Nut Naturals Spinach, Zucchini, and Peas, Gerber Toddler Mashed Potatoes & Gravy with Roasted Chicken Meal, Gerber Toddler Pick-ups Chicken & Carrot Ravioli Meal, Gerber Toddler Spaghetti Rings in Meat Sauce Meal, Gerber Toddler Spiral Pasta in Turkey Meat Sauce Meal, Gerber Sitter 2nd Foods Turkey Rice Dinner Plastic Tub, Gerber Sitter 2nd Foods Vegetable Beef Dinner Plastic Tub, Gerber Sitter 2nd Foods Apple Chicken Dinner Plastic Tub, Pumpkin, Banana, Papaya, and Cardamom Organic Baby Food, Apple, Raisin, & Quinoa Organic Baby Food, Little Teethers Organic Multigrain Teething Wafers- Banana with Pumpkin, Last Updated on February 18, 2021 — 4:02 PM, Plum Organics Stage 2 Pear Purple Carrot & Blueberry, Plum Organics Stage 2 Pear Spinach and Pea, Plum Organics Stage 2 Sweet Potato Apple & Corn, Plum Organics Stage 2 Banana Zucchini & Amaranth, Plum Organics Stage 2 Mango Sweet Potato Apple & Millet, Plum Organics Stage 2 Pumpkin Chickpea Spinach & Broccoli, Plum Organics Stage 2 Butternut Squash Carrot Chickpea & Corn, Plum Organics Stage 2 Apple Plum Berry Barley, Plum Organics Stage 2 Peach Pumpkin Carrot & Cinnamon, Plum Organics Stage 2 Mango Yellow Zucchini Corn & Turmeric, Plum Organics Mighty 4 Guava Banana Black Bean Carrot Oat, Plum Organics Mighty 4 Pear Cherry Blackberry Strawberry Black Bean Spinach Oat, Plum Organics Mighty Veggie Zucchini Apple Watermelon Barley, Plum Organics Mighty Veggie Spinach Grape Apple Amaranth, Plum Organics Mighty Veggie Carrot Pear Pomegranate Oat, Plum Organics Mighty Morning Banana Blueberry Oat Quinoa, Plum Organics Mighty Protein & Fiber Pear White Bean Blueberry Date & Chia, Plum Organics Mighty Protein & Fiber Mango Banana White Bean Sunflower Seed Butter & Chia, Plum Organics Mighty Protein & Fiber Banana White Beat Strawberry Chia. While it often takes months or years for cases to reach resolution, you can check this page to keep up with the lawsuits’ progress, or sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter to have class action news and updates sent straight to your inbox. Gerber Baby Food Recall: Gerber Organic 2nd Foods Pouches Gerber voluntarily recalled Organic pouch products after identifying a packaging defect. The company’s standards for cadmium and lead in additive ingredients “far surpass any existing regulatory standard in existence,” the investigators said. Only after “years of effort” has the FDA recently introduced regulations for inorganic arsenic levels in rice cereal for infants, and the allowable level is “notably” 10 times more than the amounts permitted in bottled water, the letter stated. A congressional investigation has found levels of arsenic, lead and other toxic metals that can harm brain development in many popular baby foods, including organic brands. ClassAction.org is a group of online professionals (designers, developers and writers) with years of experience in the legal industry. FREMONT, Mich. — Gerber says a study that found baby foods from major manufacturers contain toxic metals is creating unnecessary concerns about food safety.

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