Beech-Nut to stop making some infant rice cereal after officials find arsenic

In June, Beech-Nut announced that it would stop selling its single grain rice cereal after testing by Alaska officials revealed high arsenic levels.

Henry Hintermeister

Baby food is the last place toxic heavy metals should show up.

But a congressional report revealed in February that four of the seven largest baby food manufacturers have sold products with high levels of lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury dating back to at least late 2019. The findings prompted PIRG to call for swift passage of the federal Baby Food Safety Act, which would set rigorous maximum levels for heavy metals in baby food.

In June, Beech-Nut, one of the companies indicated in the report, announced that it would stop selling its single grain rice cereal after testing by Alaska officials revealed high arsenic levels.

“Beech-Nut is doing what all baby food manufacturers should have done years ago — figure out a way to make food safely or stop selling products that are dangerous,” said PIRG Consumer Watchdog Teresa Murray.

PIRG is calling on all baby food companies to immediately recall foods that contain high levels of heavy metals.

Read more about the report.

Read more about the recall.

Photo: A February report released by the U.S. House’s Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy revealed that four of the seven largest baby food manufacturers have sold baby food with high levels of heavy metals. Credit: yalehealth via Pixabay

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Henry Hintermeister

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