FDA Issues New Limits On Lead In Baby Food: Here’s How To Limit Exposure In The Meantime

The FDA’s recent announcement stems from the Closer to Zero initiative, which is part of an ongoing effort by the agency that began in the 1980s with the goal of reducing exposure to lead from foods. Based on science, the initiative is working to “continually reduce exposure to lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury to the lowest levels possible in foods eaten by babies and young children,” the FDA states in a press release.

The ultimate goal of its strategy is to get the amount of lead as “close to zero” as possible, while still ensuring access to nutritious foods for babies and children.

Foods covered under the draft guidance include processed foods, including those sold in jars, pouches, tubs and boxes, for babies and children under 2 years old. The proposed lead levels are below:

• 10 parts per billion (ppb) for fruits, vegetables (excluding single-ingredient root vegetables), mixtures (including grain and meat-based mixtures), yogurts, custards/puddings and single-ingredient meats
• 20 ppb for root vegetables (single ingredient)
• 20 ppb for dry cereals

“The action levels in today’s draft guidance are not intended to direct consumers in making food choices,” explains Susan Mayne, Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, in a press release from the FDA.

“To support child growth and development, we recommend parents and caregivers feed children a varied and nutrient-dense diet across and within the main food groups of vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy and protein foods,” she adds. This approach helps your children get important nutrients and may reduce potential harmful effects from exposure to contaminants from foods that take up contaminants from the environment.”

The FDA emphasizes that lead in food doesn’t mean it isn’t safe to consume. The agency evaluates the amount of lead and other contaminants in food to judge whether it poses a potential health risk, acknowledging in a press release that it’s “not possible” to remove lead and other contaminants completely from the food supply. Instead, the agency hopes the new recommendations will result in food manufacturers changing their processes to help lower lead levels in their products.

A 2019 study by Healthy Babies Bright Futures (HBBF)—an organization that aims to keep children safe from neurotoxic exposures—found toxic chemicals, including lead and arsenic, in 95% of the 168 baby foods it tested^[2]FDA Announces Action Levels for Lead in Categories of Processed Baby Foods. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed 1/25/2023. . In fact, one in four foods tested for this study contained all four metals they evaluated baby foods for: arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury^[3]Heavy Metals in Baby Food. American Academy of Pediatrics. Accessed 1/25/2023. . HBBF notes higher levels of toxic heavy metals can be found in certain foods, such as rice, fruit juice and sweet potatoes. It’s worth noting, too, that the study found detectable levels of heavy metals in commercial baby foods, family brands and homemade purees.

“Heavy metals—including lead—are present in our food supply,” confirms Malina Malkani, a pediatric registered dietitian and Forbes Health Advisory Board member. “They exist in tiny amounts in the soil, and also can be found in water.”

As a parent, you’re likely wondering how to reduce your baby’s exposure to lead in their food as the FDA works toward eliminating as much of it as possible.

“Many of the common ingredients used to make commercial baby foods (i.e., rice, carrots, sweet potatoes, etc.) tend to have comparatively higher levels of heavy metals, which doesn’t make these foods ‘bad,’ but rather highlights the importance of offering them within the context of a variety of foods, rather than serving them every day or multiple times throughout the day,” says Malkani.

Therefore, variety in your child’s diet is key and, she adds, is one of the most effective ways to limit your baby’s lead exposure. “Different foods offer different nutrients —as well as different levels of contaminants,” she explains. “Offering a variety helps ensure that babies and children are getting the range of nutrients they need to thrive and grow, while helping to ensure that they aren’t taking in too much of any one specific contaminant.”

Indeed, “because these metals are absorbed from the soil, there may not be a big difference between store bought and homemade baby food, as the ingredients themselves may contain lead,” says Jane Suhyoung Kim, M.D., a Hackensack Meridian Children’s Health pediatrician who practices at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack, New Jersey. She emphasizes the importance of food variety in minimizing lead exposure so “a child is not eating a single type of food (that may contain a relatively high lead level) daily.”

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) already recommends no fruit juice for babies under age 1 and limiting it in toddlers and children to protect their teeth, Malkani emphasizes that avoiding juice is, “another effective way to reduce exposure to lead in babies and children.”

Additionally, the AAP recommends switching up your child’s grains, noting that rice tends to absorb more arsenic. Indeed, HBBF’s study reports the most contaminated foods include rice cakes, crisped rice cereal, rice-based puffs, brown rice and other similar foods. Consider adding oat, barley, quinoa, farro, bulgur and couscous to your baby’s plate.

While the AAP acknowledges the trace amounts of heavy metals found in baby foods are “a relatively small part of a child’s overall toxic metal exposure risk,” the organization still advises minimizing exposure as much as possible. Toxic metal exposure has been linked to harming a child’s developing brain along with causing learning, cognitive and behavioral issues.

Other recommendations from the AAP to reduce lead in your child’s diet and environment include:

• Checking labels on baby food: The agency suggests opting for multi-ingredient baby food blends to ensure your child is getting a wide variety of different foods. It notes that some multi-ingredient foods have the same first or second ingredient, though, which means it’s the one most present in that particular blend.
• Have your water checked for lead: Your water may contain lead if your home has older pipes. If you’re concerned, contact your local health department to have your water tested for lead.
• Evaluate lead hazards in your home: Aside from water and food, lead is also found in peeling or chipping paint in older homes. Other sources of lead exposure in the home include: certain cosmetics, soil and hobbies or occupations that involve lead exposure.
• No smoking or vaping: Children are exposed to lead via second and third-hand smoke from both regular and e-cigarettes. Vaping exposes children to toxic metals from the vape coils exhaled into the air, and anyone in the vicinity can inhale them.

“Minimizing risk of iron deficiency can help, as iron deficiency can increase absorption of lead from the GI tract,” adds Dr. Kim. “A balanced, iron-rich diet is important.”

“For toddlers, milk is an important part of their diet as a great source of calcium and vitamin D, which are important for growth; however, too much milk can contribute to iron deficiency, so recommendations suggest limiting milk intake to 16 to 20 ounces per day,” she adds.

It’s also important to keep up with routine pediatrician visits for your child so they can receive blood work that may alert their doctor to lead toxicity, notes Dr. Kim. “Symptoms of lead toxicity may not be apparent until the blood level gets very high, so it is important to obtain screening blood work at recommended ages (or more frequently if additional risk factors for elevated levels are present) to identify and address elevated lead levels as early as possible, even when asymptomatic,” she says.

Do Organic Baby Foods Contain Less Lead?

While organic baby foods may offer an option for parents concerned about pesticide exposure or other chemicals, they’re not immune to the risk of lead absorption. Heavy metals are in soil, which means they’re found in both organic and inorganic baby foods. In fact, organic baby foods often contain similar amounts of heavy metals as inorganic options.

“There is no safe level of lead, and elevated lead levels have been associated with delayed development, lower intellectual and academic abilities, higher rates of neurobehavioral disorders, and even death when very severe,” cautions Dr. Kim.

“Lead toxicity is also cumulative, so I think it is important to minimize exposure over time,” she explains, noting that parents should be monitoring any potential lead exposure throughout childhood, not just when a child is young enough to consume baby food. Dr. Kim emphasizes the importance of identifying and addressing elevated lead levels “as early as possible.”