After the latest reports of heavy metals in baby food so many mamas from this community asked : where do I source baby foods with lower levels of heavy metals? Does it exist?

Yes, as I mentioned in my most recent posts on Instagram ( here and here) there are plenty of foods that contain lower levels of heavy metals (notice I said ‘lower levels’ because almost all fruits and vegetables naturally contain some levels of of heavy metals).

However, there is an independent certification that is specifically testing the finished products of baby foods for common toxins.  Given that there are no laws requiring companies to do so, I think it is worth getting familiar with the baby food companies that have thus far received the Clean Label Project’s Purity Award.

This non profit organization test final products- the products we all buy in stores , the products that our babies will be eating.  They then give the ‘Purity Award’ to the companies that meet the strictest standards, which includes testing for: 

• heavy metals: arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury

• BPA and BPS

• pesticides screen (test for over 100 pesticides )

• mycotoxins

• Acrylamide

• glyphosate

Purity Award Recipients must undergo yearly random and unannounced sampling of their products to maintain the Purity Award Status and are encouraged to conduct more internal testing to ensure ongoing compliance

Is this a perfect system? Not really- yearly random testing means that, yes, a batch could sneak through with higher than required levels….. but in the absence of Federal regulations for heavy metals, Bisphenols, pesticides and more in baby food it is definitely a great starts.  It also shows how high levels of  heavy metals ARE avoidable in baby foods and hopefully encourages larger companies to step up their quality control.  

5 baby food brands have received the Clean Table Projects Purity Award (please note (and save!) the slides above that list  the specific products that met the requirements 

Cerebelly

Organic Sweet Potato Mango

Organic Broccoli Pear

Organic Pea Spinach Pear with Quinoa 

Organic Pea Basil

Organic Butternut Squash White Bean

Organic Carrot Pumpkin

Organic Black Bean Sweet Potato with Avocado Oil & Tomato

Organic Carrot Chickpea with Ginger

Organic White Bean Pumpkin Apple with Sunflower Seed Butter & Cinnamon

Organic Spinach Apple Sweet Potato

Organic Sweet Potato Peach 

Organic Celery Apple Kiwi 

Organic Purple Carrot

Fresh Bellies 

• A perfect Pair

• Broccoli Ever After

• Cauliflower Dreamin’

Once Upon a Farm

• Green Kale and Apples

• Oh My Mega Veggie

• Sun Shiny Strawberry Patch

• Magic Velvet Mango

• Mama Bear Blueberry

• Apple Blueberry Applesauce

• Gold-y Mango and the 3 Coconuts

• Wild Rumpus Avocado

Serenity Kids

• Organic Squashed – Kabocha Squash, Butternut, Pumpkin & Olive Oil

• Free Range Chicken with Organic Peas & Carrots

• Pasture Raised Turkey with Organic Pumpkin & Beet

• Organic Roots

• Grass Fed Bison with Organic Kabocha Squash & Spinach

Tiny Human Food

• Tiny Human Food Organic Apple

• Tiny Human Food Organic Carrot/Apple

• Tiny Human Food Organic Pumpkin/Banana

• Tiny Human Food Organic Green Bean

• Tiny Human Food Organic Sweet Potato

• Tiny Human Food Organic Carrot

Yummy Spoonfuls

• Yummy Spoonfuls Turkey Spinach Bites

• Yummy Spoonfuls Chicken Sweet Potato Bites

• Yummy Spoonfuls Mac & Chicken Sausage Big Bowl

• Yummy Spoonfuls Pasta & Veggie Bow

• Yummy Spoonfuls Pasta Veggie & Beef Bowl 

• Yummy Spoonfuls Breakfast Burrito – Potato, Egg, Cheese

• Yummy Spoonfuls Burrito – Beef, Bean, and Cheese

• Yummy Spoonfuls Burrito – Tasty Turkey