Texas Attorney General (AG) Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into baby-food manufacturers Gerber and Plum Organics for allegedly misleading consumers about the safety of their products.
In a statement issued on 26 August, Paxton’s office said the investigation targets “major baby food manufacturers who have potentially violated the law by deceptively advertising and selling products that contain dangerous levels of heavy metals”.
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Paxton’s office revealed that Civil Investigative Demands have been served to both Gerber and Plum Organics.
Gerber is a unit of Swiss food giant Nestlé and offers cereals, snacks and beverages.
Plum Organics is also focused on baby food and offers a line of its own organic products such as Teensy Snacks, Mighty Snack Bars, and pureed pouches under the Plum Organics name.
The investigation is focused on the presence of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury, which are known to cause brain damage in young children.
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By GlobalDataThe AG’s office said that some US baby food manufacturers have set their internal standards for toxic heavy metal content at levels considered “unreasonably dangerous”, while allegedly making “misrepresentations” about the health benefits of their products.
Paxton added: “No parent should ever have to worry that the food they are giving their children is filled with dangerously high levels of heavy metals.”
In response, a Gerber representative told Just Food: “We regularly test for more than 500 toxins and contaminants, and our products must pass more than 100 individual quality checks before being sold. All of our baby foods meet FDA limits for heavy metals, as well as our own strict standards.”
Just Food has contacted Plum Organics for comment.
“We will fight to end the broken system that has led to food products threatening the health of our children and secure justice for any parent misled by baby food manufacturers engaging in deceptive practices. Together, we will Make America Healthy Again,” Paxton said.
The investigation comes amid increased scrutiny over the composition of food and beverages sold in the US, a focus that has intensified since President Trump assumed office earlier this year.
US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has criticised the nation’s food and beverage industry for “poisoning” the American citizens.
During the US Senate hearing to consider Kennedy’s nomination to become US Secretary of Health and Human Services in January, he promised to “scrutinise the chemical additives in our food supply”.
Separately, the Food and Drug Administration announced in April its intention to phase out the use of petroleum-derived food dyes by the end of the next year.
Several major US food companies, including JM Smucker, Nestlé and Conagra Brands, have already outlined plans to eliminate synthetic dyes from their products.
Earlier this month, Paxton announced WK Kellogg had entered into a legally binding agreement to remove “toxic dyes” from its breakfast cereals,.
