Lead in Baby Food: How to Protect MI Children

How Can Lead Get Into Baby Food?

Lead is a metal found naturally in soil and water. It can enter baby food in several ways:

• Crops may absorb lead from contaminated soil or irrigation water. 
• Rice and sweet potatoes are more likely to contain lead and arsenic than other baby food ingredients.¹ 
• Certain added ingredients like vitamin premixes, enzymes, and spices such as cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric, have tested positive for heavy metals, including lead.^2,3

95% of tested U.S. baby foods were found to have one or more heavy metals in 2019. ¹ 

Why Are Babies More Vulnerable?

• Babies’ brains develop rapidly during the first years of life. 
• Infants eat more food than adults (relative to their body weight), resulting in higher exposures for children.
• Low levels of harmful metals can build up in infants and young children.⁴ 

How Can Lead Exposure Affect Your Child?

Lead exposure during early childhood has been associated with ^{5, 6}:

• Reduced IQ
• Learning difficulties
• Decreased attention span
• Behavioral challenges

Some research following children over time shows that early lead-related developmental delays can persist into adulthood.⁷ 

Lead Prevention Matters

Preventing lead exposure is the most effective way to protect children’s health.⁴ Reducing lead exposure during infancy supports healthy long-term physical and cognitive development. ^{1, 4}

What Is the Current Oversight Landscape?

• Baby food manufacturers are not federally required to routinely test finished products for toxic heavy metals using an independent qualified laboratory.⁸ 
• 3 states (Maryland, California, Virginia) require baby food sold within their borders to be tested for heavy metals.⁸ 
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has launched its “Closer to Zero” initiative to reduce toxics in foods commonly eaten by babies and young children.

Michigan Policy Solution

HB 4865 (Rep. Jaime Greene): Testing of Baby Foods for Heavy Metals

Requires baby food manufacturers (selling their products in Michigan) to test for multiple toxic, heavy metals (including lead) and share the results on their websites and labels. (Amends the Food Law)        

By: Olivia Halabicky M.Sc., PhD, RN | University of Michigan, School of Nursing

References

1. Bair EC. A narrative review of toxic heavy metal content of infant and toddler foods and evaluation of United States policy. Front Nutr. 2022;9:919913. doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.919913
2. Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Committee on Oversight and Reform, US House of Representatives. Baby foods are tainted with dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury: Staff report. February 4, 2021 
3. Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Committee on Oversight and Reform, US House of Representatives. New disclosures show dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals in even more baby foods: Staff report. September 29, 2021.
4. US Food and Drug Administration. Total diet study: elements results summary statistics. Market baskets 2006 through 2013. April 15, 2014. Revised April 2017. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Analytics and Outreach, Exposure Assessment Branch; 2017.
5. American Academy of Pediatrics. Lead exposure in children. Updated May 12, 2025. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/lead-exposure/lead-exposure-in-children/
6. Hauptman M, Bruccoleri R, Woolf AD. An update on childhood lead poisoning. Clin Pediatr Emerg Med. 2017;18(3):181-192. doi:10.1016/j.cpem.2017.07.010
7. Olufemi AC, Mji A, Mukhola MS. Potential health risks of lead exposure from early life through later life: implications for public health education. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(23):16006. doi:10.3390/ijerph192316006
8. A2LA. Testing baby food for toxic heavy metals. American Association for Laboratory Accreditation. Accessed February 17, 2026. https://a2la.org/testing-baby-food-for-toxic-heavy-metals/