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Report: These popular baby foods contain too much arsenic, cadmium and lead

By Theo Thimou
By Theo Thimou

If you grew up during the 1980s, you may remember a time when heavy metal music filled the airwaves on the radio and MTV.

But heavy metals in the baby food you feed to your infant?!? That’s not good.

Yet it's more common than you might think, according to a startling claim made by Consumer Reports in newly published research.

RELATED: Retailers are pulling this potentially deadly product — is it in your home?

Is your baby and toddler food safe?

The magazine checked 50 nationally distributed baby foods for cadmium, lead, mercury and inorganic arsenic, which is the type most harmful to humans’ health.

Some 68% of products they tested had “worrisome” levels of one or more heavy metal. Meanwhile, 15 products may pose a “potential health risk” if just one serving was consumed daily on a regular basis.

Scientific evidence suggests lower IQ and behavior problems may be exacerbated by exposure to dangerous heavy metals at an early age. There are also known links to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

One of the most shocking elements of this report is the amount of brands on the naughty lists that have “organic” in their name!

Meals and Entrées

Naughty list

Consumer Reports recommends less than one serving a day unless otherwise noted.

  • Earth's Best Organic Chicken & Brown Rice
  • Earth's Best Turkey, Red Beans & Brown Rice
  • Gerber Chicken & Rice
  • Gerber Turkey & Rice
  • Sprout Organic Baby Food Garden Vegetables Brown Rice With Turkey
  • Gerber Lil' Meals White Turkey Stew With Rice & Vegetables*

* Less than half of one serving a day is recommended

Nice list

  • Gerber Lil' Entrées Chicken & Brown Rice With Peas & Corn

Fruits and Vegetables

Consumer Reports recommends less than one serving a day unless otherwise noted.

Naughty list

  • Gerber Carrot, Pear & Blackberry
  • Gerber Carrots Peas & Corn With Lil' Bits
  • Plum Organics Just Sweet Potato Organic Baby Food
  • Beech-Nut Classics Sweet Potatoes*
  • Earth's Best Organic Sweet Potatoes, 1st Stage*

* Less than half of one serving a day is recommended

Nice list

  • Beech-Nut Classics Apple, Pear & Banana
  • Beech-Nut Naturals Carrot, Broccoli, Apple & Strawberry
  • Beech-Nut Organic Peas, Green Beans, and Avocado
  • Gerber Grabbers Strong Veggies, Broccoli, Carrot, Banana, Pineapple
  • Gerber Organic Peas, Carrots & Beets
  • Happy Baby Organics Purple Carrots, Bananas, Avocados & Quinoa
See which Cereals and Snack Food are on he naughty and nice lists in the full report from Consumer Reports.

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