Wisner Baum Calls for FDA Accountability as Toxic Metals Remain in Baby Food Products

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Oct 07, 2025, 08:16 ET

Wisner Baum LLP is leading the fight against toxic baby food contamination as new recalls highlight ongoing risks of early exposure to lead and other heavy metals. With FDA's "Closer to Zero" plan falling short, thousands of families are seeking justice through litigation, and some states are taking their own steps to protect children.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prepares to release its next progress report on the "Closer to Zero" initiative to protect children from heavy metals in baby food, Wisner Baum LLP is intensifying its call for urgent reform in how toxic heavy metals in baby food are regulated.

The firm, which represents thousands of affected families nationwide, alleges that several baby food manufacturers knowingly sold products contaminated with elevated levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, all of which are linked to irreversible neurological damage in infants and toddlers.⁽¹⁾

"Families trust these companies to nourish their children, not poison them," said Brent Wisner, managing partner at Wisner Baum. "Revelations over the last few years of the extent of contamination underscore how voluntary standards and delayed regulations simply have not worked."

Recalls Show Systemic Failures

Three major baby food recalls in just the first half of 2025 illustrate the crisis is far from contained:

Sprout Organics Sweet Potato, Apple, and Spinach baby food pouches (3.5-ounce pouches (September 16, 2025) were recalled in 28 states over potential lead contamination.
Target's Good & Gather Baby Pea, Zucchini, Kale & Thyme Purée (March 12, 2025) was pulled after FDA testing revealed dangerously high lead levels.⁽²⁾
Publix GreenWise Pear, Kiwi, Spinach & Pea Pouches (May 9, 2025) were voluntarily recalled due to potentially elevated lead levels.⁽³⁾

These latest recalls add to a troubling pattern. Over the past several years, leading brands, including Beech-Nut, Gerber, Happy Family Organics, Plum Organics, Earth's Best Organic, Parent's Choice, and Sprout Organic Foods, have faced contamination scandals, and many remain in litigation or under regulatory scrutiny.⁽⁴⁾

"Those exposures add up. They create health risks in childhood and throughout a lifetime," said Jane Houlihan, the research director at Healthy Babies Bright Futures, a kids' health non-profit. "Every time a child eats a meal contaminated with lead, it's a problem." ⁽⁵⁾

FDA's Delayed and Incomplete Response

The FDA launched the Closer to Zero plan in 2021, promising to gradually reduce heavy metal content in foods for babies and young children. Four years later, critics say the agency is far from zero and has produced little more than unenforceable guidelines, leaving families vulnerable:

Missed Deadlines: The FDA removed timelines from the initiative in 2023, leaving promised action levels for arsenic, cadmium, and mercury indefinitely delayed.⁽⁶⁾
Weak Standards: The FDA's January 2025 guidance sets voluntary lead limits of 10–20 parts per billion but excludes common snack foods like puffs and teething biscuits, despite studies showing these items can contain high levels of lead.⁽⁷⁾
No Enforcement: Manufacturers are not legally required to comply, nor are they required to test their products or disclose results.

"While the FDA's initiative was a step in the right direction, it lacks teeth," said Wisner. "Without enforceable limits, mandatory testing, and full transparency, children remain at risk. Industry convenience should never outweigh children's health."

States Step Ahead of Federal Action

With federal progress stalling, states are moving forward with stronger protections:

California's AB 899 (effective January 2025): requires monthly testing for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury at certified labs, public disclosure of results, and QR codes on packaging linking to test data.⁽⁸⁾
Maryland's Rudy's Law (effective January 2025): similar requirements, named after a child who suffered lead poisoning from contaminated applesauce.⁽⁹⁾
Illinois Legislation: new laws mandate testing and disclosure beginning in 2026–2027, with other states considering similar measures.⁽¹⁰⁾

These reforms, praised by health experts, have already pressured major companies like Gerber and Beech-Nut to adopt QR code transparency nationwide.

No Safe Level of Exposure

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics both confirm that there is no safe level of lead exposure for children.⁽¹¹⁾ Even trace amounts can impair brain development, lower IQ, and increase risks of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).⁽¹²⁾

Medical experts recommend comprehensive protections, including testing of finished products, cumulative assessments of all four metals, and mandatory consumer disclosures — standards far more rigorous than current FDA guidelines.

Litigation for Justice and Change

Wisner Baum is leading consolidated baby food lawsuits against Beech-Nut, Gerber, Hain Celestial (Earth's Best Organic), Nurture (Happy Family Organics/Happy BABY), Plum Organics, Sprout Foods, and Walmart (Parent's Choice).⁽¹³⁾ The firm seeks compensation for families impacted by toxic exposure and systemic reform across the baby food industry.

"Our litigation is about accountability and prevention," said Wisner. "Families deserve the peace of mind that the food they give their children is safe. If regulators won't demand stronger protections, we will continue fighting in court until the industry is forced to change."

To see if your child or a child you know qualifies for a baby food lawsuit, learn more at www.wisnerbaum.com.

About Wisner Baum

Wisner Baum began with a simple but radical idea: that the law should serve people—not protect power. Since opening its doors in 1985, the firm has gone far beyond courtroom victories. Based in Los Angeles and known across the U.S., Wisner Baum has built its legacy by holding powerful corporations accountable — not just to win justice for individual clients, but to spark broader societal change. 

Every case they take on — from catastrophic injuries and pharmaceutical failures to environmental toxicity and corporate negligence — is part of a bigger mission: to make the world safer, more just, and more transparent for everyone. With more than $4 billion in verdicts and settlements, their legal victories have helped raise public awareness, influence regulations, and force industries to clean up harmful practices. Their work has become a catalyst for product safety reforms, food transparency, and medical accountability. 

Wisner Baum isn't just a law firm. It's a movement for change — where justice isn't the end goal, but the beginning of a safer society. 

Wisner Baum: Changing the System for Societal Change, One Case at a Time.

References

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Closer to Zero: Action Plan for Baby Foods. FDA, Apr. 2021, fda.gov/food/closer-zero/closer-zero-action-plan-baby-foods.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Target Issues Recall of Baby Food Due to Elevated Lead Levels." FDA Recalls, 12 Mar. 2025, fda.gov/safety/recalls.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "Publix Recalls GreenWise Baby Food Pouches Due to Possible Lead Contamination." FDA Recalls, 9 May 2025, fda.gov/safety/recalls.
House Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy. Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury. U.S. Congress, Feb. 2021, oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files.
Baertlein, Lisa. "U.S. Struggles to Cut Toxic Metals in Baby Food." Reuters, 3 Feb. 2023, reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Closer to Zero Progress Updates. FDA, 2023–2025, fda.gov/food/closer-zero/progress-updates.
Healthy Babies Bright Futures. What's in My Baby's Food? A National Investigation Finds 95 Percent of Baby Foods Tested Contain Toxic Chemicals That Lower Babies' IQ, Including Arsenic and Lead. Oct. 2019, healthybabiesbrightfutures.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/BabyFoodReport_EXEC-SUMM-ENGLISH
California State Legislature. AB-899 Baby Food Safety Act. California Legislative Information, 2024, leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.
Maryland General Assembly. HB 1012 – Rudy's Law. 2024 Regular Session, mgaleg.maryland.gov.
Illinois General Assembly. HB 2874 – Baby Food Transparency Act. 2025–2026 Legislative Session, ilga.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead Exposure in Children. CDC, cdc.gov/nceh/lead.
American Academy of Pediatrics. Prevention of Childhood Lead Toxicity. Pediatrics, vol. 138, no. 1, July 2016, doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1493.
U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. MDL No. 3101 – Baby Food Products Liability Litigation. Case No. 24-MD-3101-JSC, jpml.uscourts.gov.