The new California legislation enables U.S. parents to access safer testing results of harmful elements like mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and lead in baby food products. The new law represents an initial phase that began operations during this year. Starting January 1, 2025, all baby food companies engaging in California sales will need to conduct monthly tests for these four dangerous heavy metals.
The law mandates that all baby food packaging-including jars, pouches, tubs, and boxes should feature a QR code for test result access. The latest test results are accessible by using a QR code scanning process. Most businesses have yet to comply with this new requirement. This regulation follows a Congressional report from five years ago that revealed dangerous heavy metal levels in baby food. The standardized product range of these businesses enables parents across the U.S. to access laboratory testing results by either scanning the QR code or visiting company websites.
Heavy metals in soil consistently enter the foods that people consume. Plants vary in their ability to absorb heavy metals from the soil. Rice, cinnamon, apples, carrots, and sweet potatoes, along with protein powders, absorb the most heavy metals from the soil. The food manufacturing sector possesses several implementation methods that reduce heavy metal presence.
Plant producers should select heavy metal-resistant crops like cucumbers, melons, squashes, beans, and peppers to thrive in contaminated soil while planting food-sensitive crops within clean soil. After vegetables undergo harvesting, producers should clean floors before proceeding with drying activities, and manufacturers need to cleanse water before fruit and vegetable washing begins. These measures help to lower the heavy metal concentrations and make food safer for consumption. The food production industry develops genetic and crossbreeding techniques to develop plants that absorb less toxic elements from the soil.
In January 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced official guidelines specifying acceptable lead levels in infant food products. However, these guidelines lack enforcement power, meaning companies can continue their current practices.
The FDA requires baby foods manufactured from fruits, vegetables, and meats and their combinations to contain less than 10 ppb (parts per billion) lead. The permit levels for puddings and custards, along with yogurts, match those of infant food. According to the FDA regulations, dry infant cereals along with root vegetables must be below 20 ppb. These regulations do not cover essential baby products such as teething crackers or baby formula, while other snacks also lack the necessary policy, which causes operational gaps.
A 2018 Consumer Reports study found that 33 of 50 tested baby food products contained excessive levels of at least one heavy metal. In 2023, a research team retested seven products from the previous study, determining that heavy metal content decreased in three cases and showed minimal changes or increases in three additional ones. These testing results only show data about the specific batch tests performed at present. The amounts of heavy metals present in baby food products depend on when manufacturers procure their raw materials and which locations serve as their sources.
New legislation emerged in California to mandate that baby food companies perform monthly heavy metal tests and send their detection results to the public. The Baby Food Safety enables parents to inspect test outcomes for mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and lead through QR code scans for Beech-Nut Naturals sweet potato puree and Gerber Teether Snacks. Products’ test results and information about each batch number become accessible to parents through the manufacturer’s websites using the product names for search.
Parents gain enhanced visibility through new legislation, which helps them decide what foods their child should eat. A 2025 survey by Unleaded Kids and Consumer Reports found that only four of 28 baby food companies fully complied with California’s new law.
The testing revealed three different scenarios regarding the implementation of safety information access: some companies lacked proper systems, while others maintained websites with incomplete safety information disclosure, and additional companies requested batch numbers for result delivery without providing required package QR codes. Food manufacturing companies must submit heavy metal information about their products starting from January 1, 2025, under the current law.
Reference: Michael White. Parents can soon use QR codes to reveal heavy metal content in baby food. Published February 14, 2025. Accessed February 18, 2025. Parents can soon use QR codes to reveal heavy metal content in baby food
