Healthy Babies Bright Futures has released a report describing tests it commissioned on 168 varieties of baby food from 61 brands reportedly finding that 95% of the products contained traces of arsenic, lead, cadmium or mercury, with 26% of products containing all four heavy metals. The organization asserts that rice puff snacks, teething biscuits, infant rice cereal, fruit juice, carrots and sweet potatoes carry the highest levels of heavy metals. The report cites a study arguing that “lead and arsenic in rice-based foods account for one-fifth of the more than 11 million IQ points children lose from birth to 24 months of age from all dietary sources.” The organization calls on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to “establish and finalize health-protective standards for heavy metals,” “implement a proactive testing program for heavy metals in foods consumed by babies and toddlers” and “establish a health-based limit for [inorganic arsenic] in infant rice cereal and other rice-based foods.”

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For decades, manufacturers, distributors and retailers at every link in the food chain have come to Shook, Hardy & Bacon to partner with a legal team that understands the issues they face in today's evolving food production industry. Shook attorneys work with some of the world's largest food, beverage and agribusiness companies to establish preventative measures, conduct internal audits, develop public relations strategies, and advance tort reform initiatives.

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