A California non-profit, Environmental Law Foundation, sent some baby and kids’ fruit juice and products to a government approved lab for toxic substance testing. Guess what they found?

A surprisingly large number of samples, from both from national and store brands, contained lead above a maximum allowed level of 0.5 microgram per serving.

398 samples from 146 different brands were tested. Products tested were apple and grape juice, packaged pears and peaches, and fruit cocktail.

Brands that tested positive for lead include Beech-nut, Gerber, Earth’s Best Organics, Dole, Del-Monte, Kroger, Safeway, Trader Joe’s Certified Organic, and others. A full list is here [PDF].

What you need to know:

According to ELF’s press release [PDF]:

Scientists agree that there is no safe level of exposure to lead. Lead accumulates in
the body from multiple exposures over time and from multiple sources. According
to Dr. Callahan, “Lead exposure among children is a particular concern because
their developing bodies absorb lead at a higher rate and because children are
particularly sensitive to lead’s toxic effects, including decreased I.Q.” Lead
exposure also represents a heightened risk among pregnant and nursing women
because lead passes from the mother to the developing fetus or infant.

The problem is, nobody’s quite sure where the lead is coming from. Is it present in the fruit itself, or added unintentionally somewhere along the manufacturing process? Organic and conventional brands were equally hit.

ELF has sent notices to all the manufacturers. Let’s wait and see what they say.

According to NPR, The FDA would not comment on the foundation’s findings, though a spokesman confirmed that the federal limits for lead were last updated nearly two decades ago. In the meantime, many scientists, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, now say that there is no safe level of exposure to lead.

What to do at the supermarket:

We recommend no fruit juice for many other reasons beside this lead discovery. Kids should drink water. Fruit should be consumed closest to its natural form. While packaged fruit products do provide some benefits, they are often jacked up with added sugar. Kids don’t need it.

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Baby food is big business, with over half a billion dollars in sales last year. For the companies manufacturing jars of mashed bananas and carrots, this is quite a profitable pursuit.

But why do parents, who could just as easily prepare these simple “dishes”, spend hundreds of dollars a year on jars of baby food?

The answers are varied, and include convenience, lack of food preparation knowledge, and great marketing by Gerber, Beech Nut, and a few smaller players.

A few moms that decided to go the homemade route shared their story:

Jaime Hollock, 32, mother of Micah, 13 months, has been making homemade baby food for her son ever since he started eating solids at 5½ months old.

Before Micah was born, Jaime decided she wanted to make her own food, so she bought two books to educate herself on the subject, giving her confidence.

“I learned this is no different than me cooking for myself”

read the entire article

What you need to know:

If you’re buying baby food to feed junior at home, you’re throwing money away. Especially in the early months of solids, there’s nothing easier than steaming or boiling carrots, zucchini, etc… and pureeing them. You can then store the puree in the freezer for an entire week, using an ice tray to create individual portions that will be used daily.

Chicken? not a problem. boil some water and throw a few drumsticks in a for 45 minutes. When prepared, separate the meat from the bones, and puree.

Fruit? The easiest . Just peel and puree. Bananas are the easiest – just use a fork to create a delicious mushy mass.

By following these first steps you’ll be providing your baby the freshest and tastiest food, without any additional ingredients. (To the manufacturers’ credit, they have removed most of the additives and sugar from baby food in the past few years).

What to do at the supermarket:

Save yourself money and splurge on supermarket baby food for those days where you’ll be on the road or out of the house for a long time.

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The American Dietetic Association’s Annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo is a launchpad for companies’ new nutritional products and findings. Here are two additional announcements.

Beech-Nut, the baby-food underdo, has pledged it’s commitment to babies’ nutrition and health by rebranding it’s labels and messaging. Strict standards include 3 pillars:

— All natural: all natural ingredients, no added sugar, no artificial colors or flavors, no preservatives, no trans fats, no modified starches, and no harsh spices.

— Essential nutrition: A balanced ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fats for optimum nutrition, along with the enrichment of vitamins and minerals as needed for healthy development.

— Proactive nutrition: Enhanced benefits to support learning, growth, brain and eye development, and digestive health, including nutrients such as DHA omega-3 and prebiotics.

Con-Agra wants to make sure we are aware that canned tomatoes may help us ward off heart disease. They  funded a 5 year study with 14,000 adults to prove it (previous studies have shown that tomatoes in almost any form are high in nutrients that can help fight various diseases). And of course Con-Agra’s Hunt’s Canned Tomatoes should be a part of everyone’s diet.

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