Mothers Sue Gerber, Beech-Nut and Other Baby Food Makers Alleging Heavy Metals Contributed to Children's Autism

Nearly a half-dozen lawsuits were filed in the past few weeks in three states accusing Gerber, Beech-Nut Nutrition Company and other baby food manufacturers of distributing products that contained lead, arsenic and other toxic heavy metals. Each case was filed by a mother on behalf of her child, and all allege that the products contributed to neurological damage.

The lawsuits claim the companies failed to warn consumers and continued selling the products despite internal testing and public evidence showing heavy metals at potentially dangerous levels.

Some of the allegations date back a decade. Crystal Torres filed one of the suits. Her complaint states: "Baby food should be safe. It should not be contaminated with Toxic Heavy Metals. Period. " Danielle Riggs filed a lawsuit in May in Florida.

Her child was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The complaint alleges that the companies sourced ingredients with elevated levels of toxic heavy metals and did not discontinue their use after the levels were identified.

It further alleges that the companies used "dangerously high internal limits" for toxic heavy metals or implemented no specifications at all.

Janice Patterson filed a lawsuit in late April in Kentucky. The suit states the child has experienced a loss of enjoyment of life as well as medical bills.

It alleges that defendants knew they could profit by convincing consumers that their baby foods were healthy and safe and that full disclosure would limit profits. Dajah Taylor filed a lawsuit in Georgia in May on behalf of her 10-year-old child.

The complaint states that defendants are able to manufacture baby foods that do not pose such a dangerous risk by using alternative ingredients, not adding certain pre-mix minerals and vitamins high in toxic heavy metals, and sampling ingredients from other sources.

The lawsuits describe a broad range of baby food categories alleged to contain elevated levels of heavy metals, including infant rice cereal, teething biscuits and rice-based snacks, baby food in jars, fruit juices such as apple, pear and grape, root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, and snack foods made with rice flour.

Products flagged in testing and investigations came from Beech-Nut, Gerber, Plum, Walmart, Sun-Maid Growers of California, The Campbell’s Company and Hain Celestial Group. A February 2021 congressional staff report found that major commercial baby food products contained significant levels of toxic heavy metals including inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury.

The report, based on internal company documents and test results, stated that arsenic, lead and cadmium were present in foods from all companies that provided data.

It also stated that baby food companies were aware of the contamination but continued selling products anyway and that companies set their own internal limits for toxic metals, often at levels regulators would consider unsafe, and sometimes exceeded even those internal thresholds.

A September 2021 follow-up congressional report incorporated new data from companies that initially did not cooperate.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration's arsenic threshold of 100 parts per billion. The plaintiffs are seeking damages that would punish and deter the defendants from other alleged wrongful practices and ask for a trial by jury. Newsweek reached out to Gerber's, Campbell's, Nestle, Plum Organics and Beech-Nut for comment.