BABY FOOD CONTAMINATION LAWSUIT
Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury
On February 4, 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Poly Committee on Oversight and Reform released a devastating report (“Baby Food Report“) on its investigation into baby food contaminates.
On November 6, 2019, following reports alleging high levels of toxic heavy metals in baby foods, the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy requested internal documents and test results from seven of the largest manufacturers of baby food in the United States, including both makers of organic and conventional products.
If you purchased the contaminated baby foods listed in the government report, you may be entitled to be reimbursed for the amount you paid, and if your child has developed a condition that may have been caused by contamination of baby food with toxic heavy metals, you may have a valid claim for the harm and economic costs.
The government report explains how the contamination of baby food with dangerous heavy metals happened and who is likely responsible:
- Nurture, Inc. (Nurture), which sells Happy Family Organics, including baby food products under the brand name HappyBABY
- Beech-Nut Nutrition Company (Beech-Nut)
- Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (Hain), which sells baby food products under the brand name Earth’s Best Organic
- Gerber
- Campbell Soup Company (Campbell), which sells baby food products under the brand name Plum Organics
- Walmart Inc. (Walmart), which sells baby food products through its private brand Parent’s Choice
- Sprout Foods, Inc. (Sprout Organic Foods)
If you have purchased any of the above products or believe that your child or loved one has been injured by these products, contact our Baby Food Contamination Lawyers today for a free consultation.
The Baby Food Report set forth the following findings, among others.
1. According to internal company documents and test results obtained by the Subcommittee, commercial baby foods are tainted with significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Exposure to toxic heavy metals causes permanent decreases in IQ, diminished future economic productivity, and increased risk of future criminal and antisocial behavior in children. Toxic heavy metals endanger infant neurological development and long-term brain function.
2. Internal company standards permit dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals, and documents revealed that the manufacturers have often sold foods that exceeded those levels.
3. The Subcommittee has grave concerns about baby food products manufactured by Walmart (Parent’s Choice), Sprout Organic Foods, and Campbell (Plum Organics). These companies refused to cooperate with the Subcommittee’s investigation. The Subcommittee is greatly concerned that their lack of cooperation might obscure the presence of even higher levels of toxic heavy metals in their baby food products, compared to their competitors’ products.
4. The Trump administration ignored a secret industry presentation to federal regulators revealing increased risks of toxic heavy metals in baby foods.
5. The Subcommittee makes the following recommendations:
• Mandatory testing—Baby food manufacturers should be required by FDA to test their finished products for toxic heavy metals, not just their ingredients;
• Labeling—Manufacturers should by required by FDA to report levels of toxic heavy metals on food labels;
• Voluntary phase-out of toxic ingredients—Manufacturers should voluntarily find substitutes for ingredients that are high in toxic heavy metals, or phase out products that have high amounts of ingredients that frequently test high in toxic heavy metals, such as rice;
• FDA standards—FDA should set maximum levels of toxic heavy metals permitted in baby foods. One level for each metal should apply across all baby foods. And the level should be set to protect babies against the neurological effects of toxic heavy metals; and
• Parental vigilance—Parents should avoid baby foods that contain ingredients testing high in toxic heavy metals, such as rice products. Instituting recommendations one through four will give parents the information they need to make informed decisions to protect their babies.
As any parent will attest, baby food manufacturers hold a special position of public trust. Consumers entrust the safety and well-being of their children to these companies, believing that they would not sell products that are unsafe. Consumers also believe that the federal government would not knowingly permit the sale of unsafe baby food. Unfortunately, as the Baby Food Report reveals, baby food manufacturers and the Trump administration’s federal regulators have broken the faith.
The Danger Posed By Toxic Heavy Metals
Children and infants may be more susceptible to and have higher exposure to metals because they consume more food in relation to their body weight and absorb metals more readily than adults. According to a 2012 article in the International Journal of Pediatrics that reviewed published studies on heavy metal contamination, the heavy metals found in baby food can have devastating effects in children:
For [mercury] and lead exposures during pregnancy and early childhood have adverse effects on the developing nervous system, and lead exposure during early childhood, even at low levels, has been associated with numerous neurodevelopmental effects including lower IQ, cognitive impairments, increased risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and impulsivity.
Prolonged exposure to arsenic beginning in childhood may increase the likelihood of skin and internal cancers that have a long latency period.
Health effects of cadmium exposure in children may include kidney, lung, and intestinal damage, and animal studies suggest that children are more susceptible than adults to bone demineralization and fractures as a result of cadmium exposure.
Low level exposures to the combination of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury may cause subtle effects on children’s renal and dopaminergic systems.
Baby Food Class Action Lawsuit
Our law firm is currently investigating potential lawsuits against the manufacturers and distributors of HappyBABY, Beech-Nut, Earth’s Best organic, Gerber, Plum organics, Parent’s Choice, Sprout Organic, and other baby foods. Baby food that contaminated with heavy metals or other inappropriate toxins render such baby food unfit for consumption and worthless. Accordingly, parents who have spent money to purchase such worthless products may be entitled to a refund of their money.
Additionally, parents or guardians who suspect that their children have been injured as a result of consumption of heavy metals may be able to pursue a claim for personal injuries, including past and future pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and other damages.
If you have purchased any of the above baby foods or suspect that a child or loved one has been injured as a result of eating these foods, you should contact our Baby Food Contamination Lawyers immediately for a free consultation.
Lawyers for Baby Food Heavy Metal Contamination
Contact our Baby Food Contamination Lawyers to review whether you or a loved one may be entitled to financial compensation. Our firm is currently accepting cases on behalf of potential clients in all 50 states.
