By: Beth Olson and Katie Schroeder
Within the last year, the concern about the safety of baby foods has resurfaced among the reports of applesauce pouches containing cinnamon contaminated with lead, and the dangerous health effects that it may have caused in the children who consumed them. Contamination of baby foods with things which could cause health problems is not a new problem, but rather one that has continued longer than health professionals, and parents, would like. In the last few years, there have been other baby foods whose safety has been called into question following the discovery of heavy metals or other harmful substances in them. These product types include baby formula, rice cereal, and jarred or plastic containers of carrots, and sweet potatoes. It may seem difficult to feed a baby healthy foods without risk, but there are things that can be done to limit a baby’s exposure to these harmful substances.
It is often assumed when baby foods contain these dangerous substances, that the contamination happens during the processing and manufacturing of these products. While this is sometimes true (e.g. it’s believed the cinnamon from the applesauce pouches was contaminated by the addition of a lead product to enhance its color) these dangerous substances can enter plant foods during the growing process. Root vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes acquire these heavy metals by taking them from the soil. Rice tends to pull arsenic (a heavy metal) from the water in which it grows. Heavy metals tend to be in higher amounts in the soil and water due to contamination from nearby manufacturing sites, from mining, or from products like pesticides and fertilizers. There are also of heavy metals which naturally occur in soil.
Heavy metal consumption can cause problems in anyone, but babies and children are especially at risk. Their small size allows for more concentration of contaminants in their tissues, and because their bodies (and organs like their brain) are still growing and developing, this contamination puts them at higher risk of impairment than adults who consume similar amounts. There can be acute effects of heavy metals such as headache and nausea, but even with no symptoms there may be long term effects. These effects include intellectual disabilities, reduced organ function, and even death. The best way to reduce a child’s exposure to heavy metals from foods is by rotating products that are most likely to be contamination with other foods. Foods such as carrots and sweet potatoes carry essential vitamins and minerals for children’s growth and should therefore not be removed from the diet completely, instead they should be rotated with foods that carry less risk of exposure such as green beans, peas, and butternut squash. To avoid exposure to arsenic in rice, try boiling it like pasta and draining off the excess water. For other tips on feeding babies safely, look here. There are also baby cereal alternatives to rice cereal, such as oatmeal and barley. Foods grown in home gardens may also be at risk of contaminants from soil, so follow the same recommendations for those foods, and talk to your child’s health care provider about any concerns.
While concerning, the issue of heavy metal exposure via contaminated baby food is one that we can address. With attention to foods and providing a wide variety of options to children, exposure to heavy metals can be greatly reduced. In addition, the government and non-profit groups are working with baby food manufacturers to reduce the amount of heavy metals, and other contaminants, in their foods. For more information on recent contamination issues review these links: