Turn to Tara: Heavy metals in baby foods

<p>A Turn to Tara investigation has uncovered some startling news about some of the most trusted packaged foods for young children.</p>

News 12 Staff

Sep 6, 2018, 3:50 PM

Updated 2,052 days ago

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A Turn to Tara investigation has uncovered some startling news about some of the most trusted packaged foods for young children.
Consumer Reports recently put 50 of what it deemed the most popular products to the test and found that they contained heavy metals.
"Sixty-eight percent of the baby food we investigated showed the presence of measurable levels of one of four different types of heavy metals: cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead. These types of metals shouldn't be in baby food period...but we found them," says Consumer Reports chief scientific officer James Dickerson.
Dickerson says 30 percent of the items had heavy elements that would increase the risk for exposure to cancer, neurological disease and other cardiovascular problems over time – at just one serving a day.
He says there are easy things to do to minimize risk, including incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables into diets. The highest levels of metals were discovered in snacks and products containing rice and sweet potatoes.
Consumer Reports has already informed the FDA of its findings and called on the agency to crack down on manufacturers with the ultimate goal of eliminating "all" measurable levels of heavy elements.


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