Lawmakers in Washington accuse the baby food makers of knowingly putting toxic products on the market.
The chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy said its investigation found “alarming levels of toxic heavy metals” in baby food.
“Samples of Beech-Nut’s and Gerber’s infant rice cereals contained more inorganic arsenic than FDA’s 100 parts per billion (ppb) limit,” according to the subcommittee’s investigation.
The committee says its investigation also found products by Plum Organics had high levels of toxic heavy metals.
It also accuses Walmart of weakening its arsenic standard, and calls out the entire baby food industry for refusing to “test its finished products for heavy metals.”
Walmart defended its products. According to CBS News, it says they meet “FDA requirements.”
Gerber also stood by its products, telling CBS News that it "follows a consistent and rigorous testing plan which includes regular testing of finished products"
The committee is now calling on the Food and Drug Administration to quickly publish limits for toxic metals and require companies to test their finished product.
It also wants baby food manufacturers to phase out products that “frequently test high in toxic heavy metals, such as rice.”
