Baby food safety: The FDA released new limits for lead

Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury can accumulate in children's bodies and cause long-term health complications. Exposure to heavy metals at an early age has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders such as:

• Asperger's syndrome
• Childhood disintegrative disorder
• Kanner's syndrome
• Pervasive developmental disorder

For several decades, parents have faced a lack of regulation and safe options for their children. A US congressional investigation in 2019 found toxic metals in products from several large baby food manufacturers, with some lead levels reaching up to 177 times the limit for bottled water.

New limits set for the amount of lead allowed in baby food

In January 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its final guidance on lead levels in processed baby food, as part of its Closer to Zero initiative to reduce childhood exposure to toxic metals. Based on the FDA's findings, the agency recommends that the levels of lead in processed food (for babies and young children) should not exceed the following limits:

• Amounts of lead should not exceed 10ppb for fruits, vegetables, yogurts, puddings, custards, and single-ingredient meats (root vegetables are excluded)
• Amounts of lead should not exceed 20ppb for single-ingredient root vegetables and dry infant cereals

What the new limits mean for toxic baby food claims

It's important to understand that, in general, the FDA's "action levels" are neither strictly binding nor legally enforceable. They are treated as recommendations that baby food manufacturers are expected to follow to reduce childhood exposure to heavy metals. There are two significant ways that the new FDA guidelines may be used by different parties involved in toxic baby food lawsuits and claims:

1. FDA guidelines may be used to strengthen baby food claims and lawsuits. Although the action levels are voluntary limits, they are still a federal acknowledgment of the effects of toxic metals in baby food. A competent lawyer can use this document to strengthen the claims of children who have already been injured or developed conditions linked to toxic metal exposure. To further discuss how the new FDA guidelines may affect your child's claim, you may contact ELG Law so that our specialized attorneys can evaluate your case.
2. Companies may also use the federal guidelines against you. Companies that have been producing toxic baby products with lead levels within FDA limits may use the new "action levels" to claim their products are safe.

Despite claims by baby food manufacturers, multiple sources have stated that no level of lead is safe for infants and toddlers. According to the US CDC's Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention, lead can be harmful even at low levels in the blood. The World Health Organization also stated that no level of lead exposure is safe, especially for young children and women. If you believe that your child's neurodevelopmental disorder is related to a baby food product, reach out to ELG Law.

ELG Law can help you file toxic baby food claims

For decades, ELG has been legally assisting people who were exposed to toxic substances, including young children who suffered from toxic-laden food and defective products. To start the process, we only need the parent to give us a call and relay the information about the child's diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder and the brands of baby food that were fed to the child. Our specialized attorneys will use this information to assess your eligibility for a toxic baby food claim.