Popular baby foods contain toxic heavy metals, congress finds

A report from Congress has found that baby food made by several big brands contain toxic materials. The heavy materials include arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, substances that can put a child's "neurological development and long-term brain function" in jeopardy, the report states.

"Exposure to toxic heavy metals causes permanent decreases in IQ, diminished future economic productivity, and increased risk of future criminal and antisocial behaviour in children," the report warns.

Released by the House Oversight Committee’s subcommittee on economic and consumer policy on Thursday, the report says that rice cereals, sweet potato puree, juices and sweet snack puffs were found to contain heavy metals. The foods were made by some of the biggest and most trusted brands in the country.

Companies that submitted internal testing documents to the committee included Gerber, Beech-Nut, HappyBABY, and Earth’s Best. The report also says that arsenic, cadmium, and lead were "present in baby foods made by all responding companies".