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Dec 07, 2023

Baby food made at home has toxic metals like products sold in stores

Jars of Gerber baby food on shelves at a Shoprite Supermarket. Photo: James

Jars of Gerber baby food on shelves at a Shoprite Supermarket. Photo: James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images

Homemade baby food contains as many toxic metals as food bought in the store, a report released Thursday found.

Why it matters: Babies and children exposed to heavy metals face the risk of "lifelong deficits in intelligence," the researchers note.

Driving the news: The report, published by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures (HBBF), found that 94% of homemade baby foods and manufactured baby foods contain detectable amounts of one or more heavy metals.

The least contaminated foods were fresh bananas, grits, manufactured baby food meats, butternut squash, lamb, apples, pork, eggs, oranges and watermelon, in that order, per the report.

Between the lines: HBBF, which produced the report, is comprised of a group of nonprofits, scientists and donors with a mission to reduce babies' exposures to neurotoxic chemicals.

What they're saying: "If you spread foods out, and offer a wide variety of options, you'll have less toxicity," pediatrician Dr. Mark Corkins, chair of the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told CNN, which was given exclusive access to the report.

Go deeper... Top baby foods contain toxic heavy metals, congressional panel finds