US Food and Drug Administration Establishes Guidelines for Lead Levels in Baby Foods
For the first time in history, the US Food and Drug Administration has established guidance for levels of lead in processed baby foods sold on supermarket shelves and online. The agency’s action, announced Monday, only provides guidance to industry and is not enforceable.
Under the new guidelines, baby food manufacturers should have no more than 10 parts per billion of lead in baby yogurts, custards, puddings, single-ingredient meats, processed fruits and vegetables, and mixtures of fruits, vegetables, grains, and meat. Root vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes, which typically contain the highest levels of lead from the soil, and dry infant cereals should contain no more than 20 parts per billion of lead.
No level of lead is safe for infants and toddlers, according to the US Centers for Disease and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Parents should not throw away existing baby foods they have purchased or stop feeding young children a variety of foods, the FDA said.
To get adequate food variety, the FDA recommends that parents and caregivers feed their children many different foods from the five food groups – vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, and protein foods – and alternate how often they provide the same food.
Gerber, which is owned by Nestlé SA and controls much of the US baby food market, told CNN that it has always worked closely with FDA regulators to reduce the levels of heavy metals in infants and young children. “All of our baby foods meet FDA limits for heavy metals, and we expect that will hold true for the new guidance,” said Dana Stambaugh, director of external communications for Nestlé US.
However, organizations that prioritize children’s welfare were quick to react. “Nearly all baby foods on the market already comply with these limits, making the new standards largely ineffective,” said Jane Houlihan, the national director of science and health for Healthy Babies Bright Futures. “The harm is permanent, and the delay has put countless kids at unnecessary risk,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group.
The FDA first proposed the new lead levels in 2023 as part of its Closer to Zero initiative, which the agency says strives to lower the levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury in baby foods. However, that action was also judged as inadequate to protect children.
The FDA has also not taken any action on levels of other heavy metals, such as cadmium, although that may change. In September, the agency released an analysis that found “more than half of all children ages 1 to 6 exceed a safe daily dose for cadmium in food.” According to that report, the main sources of exposure for children are grains, baked goods, fruits, and vegetables. Processed baby foods contribute a tiny amount (0.5%) for that age group.
