Some Baby Foods Found to Contain "Concerning" Levels Of Heavy Metals, According To Report

Aug 21, 2018 by apost team

According to a new report Consumer Reports recently published, there are "concerning levels" of some heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium in the many of the market's popular baby foods.

Samples of fifty popular packaged products of baby foods were tested, according to Consumer Reports, for heavy metals including cadmium, inorganic arsenic, and lead. Their findings concluded that they could find at least of the metals in every sample.

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The samples tested that contained sweet potatoes and rice, according to the report, contained higher levels of more than one of the heavy metals, with inorganic arsenic being the highest. The report also indicated that, upon analysis, organic baby foods tested just as high in comparison to non-organic. However, it's been said that these findings shouldn't cause too much alarm among parents.

The recommendation to parents is to maintain a balance and not be gravely alarmed by the findings. Instead, they should use this information to help make choices that are balanced for their children. A spokesperson from Consumer Reports indicated that it isn't uncommon for natural metals to occur naturally, and then become absorbed into foods from contaminants in the water or the soil, and the equipment the raw food was used for processing.

According to a consultant, though, there are potential risks in association with these heavy metals to children due to the fact that their brains are still undergoing development. If we lived in a perfect world, according to this consultant, we would be able to either limit or entirely eliminate these metals from foods. According to Consumer Reports, it's possible to achieve this goal according to their results.

Consumer Reports indicated that these findings were performed as a spot check on the market and these results should not be used to draw clear conclusions regarding specific brands or products. Their recommendation is to for parents to provide their children with a variety of foods and to consistently rotate options to a balance can be maintained, and risks to long-term exposures to heavy metals can be eliminated.

Statements by the Food and Drug Administration indicate that they have a commitment to protecting the safety of the foods that individuals in the United States eat, as well as to helping to reduce the risks associated with heavy metal exposure, especially in populations that are vulnerable including infants and children. The FDA continues to state that our foods have always contained low levels of heavy metal and those potential risks have not gone unrecognized, which is why it's their goal to help consumers limit these exposures as much as possible. The FDA has what is referred to as the Toxic Elements Initiative to help achieve this goal.

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While the fact that there are concerning levels of heavy metals in some baby foods, the recommendation is for parents not to be alarmed. Instead, parents should rotate foods and provide a balanced diet for their children. The FDA has created a Toxic Elements Initiative as a means of helping to reduce heavy metal exposure in foods and reduce the risks to consumers associated with them.

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Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!