When choosing baby food, it is important to choose natural, organic, and healthy options. Gerber and Beech -Nut both have many healthy and organic options. It can be challenging to choose the first solid food for your child. While Gerber baby food is well-known, there are many other brands that you can look for.
Recently, a story broke on the news telling parents not to feed beech-nuts baby food to their babies because levels of cadmium in the food were slightly higher than what is recommended by the FDA. The FDA uses a threshold level of 1000 micrograms for cadmium for any infant food and Beech Nuts exceeded that level. The headline read “Is Beech Nut Baby Food Safe?”, but as someone who works in regulatory affairs, I’m used to seeing exclamatory headlines like this.
Beech-Nut baby food contains 886 ppb of lead
A recent study found that Beech-Nut baby foods contain a high level of lead. These foods have levels up to 177 times higher than the maximum safe level set by the FDA, which is five parts per billion. In fact, 89 of the 91 ingredients in Beech-Nut’s products contained over 15 ppb. This is a dangerous level for a baby’s diet.
The company has also been found to use ingredients with higher levels of lead and arsenic than is safe. Some of these ingredients were allowed to be used even though they were above the limits. Among the products tested by the study, three contained over eight hundred parts per billion of lead. Hain also used ingredients with 260 ppb of cadmium. Despite these violations, Beech-Nut is still able to sell their products.
Beech- Nut continues to advertise their baby food as healthy and safe. However, the results of an investigation by the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy revealed that the food contains unsafe levels of heavy metals. This includes lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic. These metals are known to affect the neurological development and brain function of an infant.
It does not test for mercury
The USHR Report states that Beech -Nut does not test for mercury in its products. Despite this, the company still sells the food regardless of its content in mercury. Mercury is highly toxic, even at low concentrations. The FDA limits the amount of mercury allowed in food and water at 2 parts per billion. The food is also contaminated with cadmium and lead, which are among the most common toxic heavy metals in the environment.
Toxic heavy metals are known to damage the developing nervous system and brain. Exposure to these substances in the earliest years of life can have long- term, irreversible effects. Several studies have indicated that Beech-Nut baby foods contain high levels of these heavy metals. As a result, consumers should be very cautious with this brand.
It is made with 100% natural ingredients
Beech nut baby food is a natural and organic baby food line made with 100% natural ingredients. The company does not use any artificial ingredients and is packaged in BPA-free containers and glass jars. It is available at most supermarkets. The company has a variety of products for all stages of baby’s development.
The company’s formulas are inspired by homemade recipes and contain only the best ingredients for your baby’s health. Each recipe contains only whole fruits and vegetables and nothing else. You can purchase Beech-Nut baby foods at Walmart, Kroger, and local grocery stores nationwide.
The company’s food is less expensive than other brands and tends to contain fewer additives than Gerber. However, some parents may prefer Gerber’s baby food, as the texture is less thick. In addition, it may be easier for babies to eat it.
It’s hard to say whether Beech Nut has been more attentive than its competitors when it comes to the difficult topic of heavy metals in baby food. But this doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with the brand. The FDA does a good job of monitoring for such contaminants, and if any baby food contains unsafe levels, it should be removed from the shelves.
