Government panel uncovers serious risks for consumers over discovery of alarmingly high levels of dangerous metals that can cause autism, severe ADHD and other problems in children.

A new report from the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy reveals that some of most popular baby foods on supermarket shelves contain dangerous levels of arsenic, lead and cadmium.

Leading consumer agencies are now calling for manufacturers to suspend manufacturing and sale of questionable products and some families with children harmed by these products are filing baby food lawsuits.

Medical experts have long warned about the dangers that such metals can cause, particularly in children, who are at risk to irreversible brain development damage. Warnings have been posted by the Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization.

The House report “reveals that companies not only underreport the high levels of toxic content in their baby food but also knowingly keep toxic products on the market,” said the chairman of the House panel, Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.

In releasing its findings, the subcommittee reviewed internal documents and test results from several of the major American baby food manufacturers and found alarmingly high levels of the toxins in both conventional and organic products.

Among the products were such familiar names as:

• Beech-Nut (Beech-Nut Nutrition Company)
• Earth’s Best Organic (Hain Celestial Group)
• Gerber
• HappyBABY (Nurture, Inc.)
• Parent’s Choice (Walmart)
• Plum Organics (Campbell Soup Company)
• Sprout Organic Foods (Sprout Foods, Inc.)

In addition to posing health risks to children’s internal organs, toxic chemicals also can cause severe neurological effects during early childhood such as learning disabilities, behavioral difficulties and lowered IQ.

Legal experts are recommending that parents of a child who may have suffered severe effects from toxic baby food preserve their legal rights to compensation by seeking a free evaluation of their case. (See link above.)

The FDA has announced a plan to identify actions the agency will take to reduce exposure to arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury from foods eaten by babies and young children—to as low as possible.

“We have prioritized babies and young children because their smaller body sizes and metabolism make them more vulnerable to the harmful effects of these contaminants,” the FDA said in a public statement.

However, victims and consumer groups note that the FDA’s action plan extends to 2024 and beyond and does not include means of compensation for children already suffering from these dangerous side effects.