The baby food you are giving your child may have lead in it, that is according to a new report from the Environmental Defense Fund. The report challenges the food industry to do better.
The EDF says 2/3rds of kids are exposed to lead through baby food. The group analyzed 11 years worth of federal data, from the FDA's Total Diet Studyand found the toxic metal was detected in 20% of the 2,164 baby food samples.
The Food and Drug Administration says the levels of low in baby food are low and not likely to cause issues.
"Twenty percent is still a lot to me. When you're talking about my children and it affecting them as they grow," said Sameese Balloon, a mother of five in Tampa.
Sameese typically breastfeeds her kids until they are one year of age.
"My last son, who is two now, he stopped nursing at six months, so I was forced to formula feed him," said Balloon.
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Based on its report, the EDF says lead in baby food is most commonly found in fruit juices with sweet potatoes and carrots, and teething biscuits.
Alfred Aleguas, the Managing Director at the Florida Poison Center, says the lead could be coming from the soil where the fruits and veggies are growing plus,
"technology is getting better and then it is raising more questions."He says parents can always make their own baby food, but they must also check where those fresh fruits and veggies are coming from.
Aleguas added if parents are truly concerned, they can always get their child tested during their next check up.
