All food, including baby food, contains some heavy metals. Metals are naturally present in water, soil and air, but they also enter our food through pesticides and pollution.

Several reports highlight unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals—arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury—found in baby foods (including organic brands). And in 2021 congressional reportOpens a new window found that some of the largest US baby food manufacturers were selling foods with high levels of these metals.

Consumer Reports TestedOpens a new window 50 packaged foods for babies and toddlers in 2018 for cadmium, mercury, arsenic and lead and showed alarming results. All products contained measurable amounts of at least one heavy metal, about two-thirds had “worrying” levels of these metals, and 15 posed a potential health risk if eaten once a day. In subsequent tests in 2023. Consumer reports foundOpens a new window that although levels of heavy metals have fallen in some baby products, the overall risk has not changed much compared to five years earlier.

Non-profit The bright future of healthy babies analyzedOpens a new window 168 baby foods in 2019 and toxic metals were found in 95% of them. In 2022, Healthy Babies Bright Futures tested homemade baby food to see if it was safer than store-bought. Unfortunately, the group found that 94% of domestic baby food is contaminated with one or more of four toxic heavy metals. Heavy metal levels varied significantly depending on the type of food, not the way it was made.

Excessive consumption of heavy metals can cause health problems and damage a child’s developing brain – and there’s no easy way for parents to know what’s in the baby food they buy or make.

Public health experts have called on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set safe standards for baby food and provide more transparent labels – and some progress has been made.

FDA Closer to zeroOpens a new window The program aims to reduce contaminants in food, and in 2025, the agency announced guidanceOpens a new window on limiting lead in baby food. The FDA recommends that lead levels be less than:

• 10 parts per billion (ppb) for fruits, vegetables (excluding single-ingredient root vegetables), mixes (including grain-meat-based mixes), yoghurts, creams/puddings and single-ingredient meats

• 20 ppb for root vegetables with one ingredient

• 20 ppb for dry infant cereal

The new California law also now requires all baby food manufacturers to test their products for certain heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury. Manufacturers will also begin including a QR code on product labels that takes customers to a website where they can see how many of these heavy metals are in any baby food.

Although it’s impossible to completely avoid heavy metals lurking in your baby’s meals and snacks, you can take steps to reduce the risk of your baby getting too much in his diet:

• Continue to serve a wide variety of foods that are rich in essential nutrients. Feeding your child a variety of healthy foods helps ensure a balanced diet and can help limit the risk of long-term exposure to heavy metals. Start solids with pureed vegetables, fruit or meat, not baby cereal. Or, skip puree and try weaning.
• Avoid rice cereal and snacks made from rice flour, as rice absorbs about 10 times more arsenic than other grains. According to Healthy Babies Bright Futures, rice cakes, crispy rice flakes and rice puffs are the most contaminated foods. Rice milk and brown rice syrup, which are used to sweeten some foods, are also not recommended.
• Instead of rice, opt for whole grains such as oats, barley, farro, bulgar and quinoa. When making rice for your family, keep in mind that white basmati and sushi rice have lower levels of arsenic than brown rice. Rinse the rice before cooking it and consider cooking it in extra water and draining the excess.
• Give your child whole foods as much as possible, instead of processed snacks. Foods low in heavy metals include: apples, unsweetened applesauce, avocados, bananas, barley with diced vegetables, beans, cheese, grapes, hard-boiled eggs, peaches, strawberries and yogurt. (Just be sure to cut the food into small pieces to avoid choking hazards.)
• Breastfeed if possible. Breastfeeding instead of formula feeding can help reduce exposure to metals.
• If you use tap water to prepare infant formula or cereal, consider testing the water in your home for lead. Metals can get into tap water, especially if it comes from a well or runs through older pipes. If you are concerned about your water, use bottled water to make bottles and feed for your baby. (The FDA limits heavy metals in bottled water.)
• Choose fish with low mercury content. Fish is packed with beneficial nutrients, and babies can eat fish soon after they start eating solids. But you’ll want to avoid fish that are high in methylmercury, such as tuna, king mackerel, marlin, swordfish, and bluegill. Better fish choices include salmon, cod, tilapia and white fish.
• Avoid fruit juice. Many brands of apple and grape juice contain inorganic arsenic and lead. If you do give your child juice, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than 4 ounces per day for children ages 1 to 3, and no juice at all for infants.
• Limit carrots and sweet potatoes, which contain more heavy metals than other vegetables because they grow in the ground. Always wash and peel them before serving. Consumer Reports found that sweet potatoes were especially likely to have high levels of heavy metals. Healthy Babies Bright Futures also recommends limiting spinach and cantaloupe.

Should I make baby food instead of buying it?

Heavy metals are found in the products we buy, so making homemade baby food will not help you avoid them in your baby’s diet. But since heavy metals can also get into baby food from food production and packaging, making your own baby food can help reduce your baby’s exposure.

The AAP says that whether you make your own baby food or buy it at the store, offering a variety of foods is key to reducing the risk of toxic metals in your child’s food.

You can make all or part of your baby’s food by pureeing fruits, vegetables, grains, and other foods with a little breast milk, formula, or water to the desired consistency. You can also puree what the rest of the family eats if it doesn’t contain added sugars or too much sodium.

It’s unlikely, but not impossible. As reported by AAPOpens a new windowthe levels of heavy metals found in baby food are a relatively small part of the overall risk of a child’s exposure to toxic metals. But it is best to reduce children’s exposure to heavy metals from all sources.

“Exposure to heavy metals can be harmful to the developing brain. It has been linked to problems with learning, cognition, and behavior,” says the AAP. Because babies’ brains grow quickly and their bodies are small, exposure to heavy metals is especially dangerous.

However, this is not the time to panic about your child’s food.

“A child’s exposure to these heavy metals through baby food is likely to be negligible and not have a significant negative impact on their health,” says pediatrician Dawn Rosenberg, a BabyCenter advisory board member.

“However, this is an important risk that can be additive, and now that we know about these toxic metals in our food, we need to reduce future exposure as much as possible,” says Dr. Rosenberg. “It is imperative that our government regulate and set rigorous safety standards for baby food.”

Dr. Rosenberg encourages parents to rely less on packaged purees and snacks. “Fortunately, our guidelines for feeding babies solid foods have changed dramatically over the past decades,” she says. “Families can be more flexible in feeding babies, offering unsalted soft foods and adding flavors and spices.”

Do I feed my child organic baby food?

Some parents prefer organic baby food because they want to give their baby food that does not contain pesticides and other chemicals. This is a question you will have to decide based on what is best for your family. But keep in mind that organic food can contain heavy metals just like conventional food.

You might consider buying organic varieties called the dirty dozenOpens a new window. These are the fruits and vegetables that tend to contain the most pesticides, according to The Environmental Working Group, an environmental health nonprofit that updates the list each year.

Whatever you decide, don’t skimp on fruits and vegetables in an effort to reduce your baby’s exposure to heavy metals or pesticides. Fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of important nutrients, including potassium, folate, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. In addition, studies show that babies who don’t get a lot of fruits and vegetables in their diet are less likely to eat them later.

How can I choose safe baby food?

If you’re concerned about heavy metals in your baby’s food, check out The Clean Label Project. This national non-profit organization tests baby foods for heavy metals and publishes a list the best and worst baby food productsOpens a new window.

Healthy Babies Bright Futures also offers advice for parents reduce the exposure of babies to heavy metalsOpens a new window in their diet.

According to the group, foods low in heavy metals include fruit (fresh, frozen and in baby food); vegetables such as green beans, peas and squash; and proteins such as meat, eggs and beans. The least contaminated baby food, they say, is:

• fruit
• meat
• vegetables like butternut squash, green beans and peas
• eggs
• yogurt
• beans

The most contaminated baby food, according to Healthy Babies Bright Futures, is:

• rice cakes
• crispy rice cereal
• rice-based puffs
• brown rice
• rice-based teething biscuits
• rice cereal for babies
• grape juice
• sunflower seed butter
• dried fruit
• full size spinach (baby spinach is better)
• oat cereal

The nonprofit says to “limit or rotate” healthy foods with moderate heavy metal content such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, baby spinach, other leafy greens, peanut butter, oatmeal, infant multigrain cereals and white rice.

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  True
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What is the story?

IN TRUTH, legendary movie actress Fabienne Dangeville (Catherine Deneuve) has just released her memoir and is embarking on a new role in a sci-fi movie. At the same time, Fabien’s daughter, screenwriter Lumir (Juliette Binoche), arrives from New York with her actor husband Hank (Ethan Hawke) and their young daughter Charlotte (Clémentine Grenier). Lumir reads her mother’s memoirs and is amazed to discover many untruths. For example, Fabienne claims that she was a loving mother, when the opposite was true. Meanwhile, Fabienne begins filming and finds herself in the role of the seven-year-old daughter of the film’s younger main character (Manon Clavel); in the story, Manon is sick and lives in space, where she does not age. Between film and memoir, can mother and daughter find a way to reconnect?

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Is it good?

Our review:

Parents say :
Not rated yet

children say:
Not rated yet

Working outside of his native Japan with well-known French and American stars, director Hirokazu Koreeda delivers a drama that feels a little off, yet is quietly thoughtful and beautifully acted. Certain characters, including Hank, and certain subplots/themes don’t really seem necessary and feel like they’re going off the rails. The majority True is in French (with English subtitles for the US release), and Hank’s character only speaks English, so he spends most of the movie either looking confused or ignoring the other adults and playing games with Charlotte. Another character, “Susan”, seems important and is mentioned in dialogue, but is never seen.

But Binoche and Deneuve are spectacular in their scenes together, and Deneuve has one of her best and funniest roles with Fabienne, who often gets laughs with her wry, sophisticated line readings. The sci-fi movie-within-a-movie also offers a fascinating perspective, with Fabienne playing scenes as a daughter longing to fill in the gaps in her relationship with her mother. It’s a perceptive mirror – the opposite of the real-life scenes between Fabienne and Lumiro. Although True it’s not perfect, it’s these humanistic touches — a Koreed trademark (And Wish, Shoplifters) — which makes it worth seeing.

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Talk to your kids about…

• Families can discuss how True shows alcohol/drinking. Is it glamorous? How do you think the filmmakers intended the audience to feel about the character who stopped drinking?

• How is smoking portrayed? Are there consequences? Why is it important?

• What is the relationship between mother and daughter in this story? How is it similar or different from your relationship(s)?

• What is interesting or unique about a Japanese filmmaker telling a story about people in France? Is his view of human behavior universal?

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