Nearly a half-dozen lawsuits filed in the past few weeks are accusing Gerber, Beech-Nut Nutrition Company and other popular baby food manufacturers of putting harmful heavy metals in their baby food, leading to lifelong disabilities among some children.

The lawsuits, filed in three states, accuse the manufacturers of knowingly distributing baby food that contained lead, arsenic and other toxic substances. While the Make America Healthy Again movement has sparked renewed criticism of chemicals in food, the ingredients in what's being fed to children has been under scrutiny for years and some of the lawsuits have allegations going back a decade.

While each case differs in the allegations, they were all filed by mothers on behalf of their children and all allege that the products contributed to neurological damage to the kids. The lawsuits claim that the companies failed to warn consumers and continued selling products despite internal testing and public evidence showing the presence of heavy metals at potentially dangerous levels.

"Baby food should be safe. It should not be contaminated with Toxic Heavy Metals. Period. This action aims to stop Defendants from poisoning infants with Contaminated Baby Food," a lawsuit filed by Crystal Torres on behalf of her child said.

Baby Food Lawsuits Explained

At the heart of the lawsuits is a core claim repeated across the complaints: companies “knowingly sold baby food products contaminated with dangerous levels” of toxic heavy metals such as lead and arsenic. Plaintiffs argue that these substances are known to cause “brain damage and neurodevelopmental harm” when consumed by babies, making their presence in infant food particularly concerning.

"Defendants justify this callous disregard for the welfare of babies because, until recently, there were no regulations governing the presence of Toxic Heavy Metals in baby foods—and, because there were no regulations, they were free to do as they pleased," a lawsuit filed by Danielle Riggs said.

Riggs filed the lawsuit in May on behalf of her child, whom she says was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder after consuming contaminated baby food.

The lawsuit, filed in Florida, alleges that the companies sourced ingredients that contained elevated levels of toxic heavy metals and that they didn't discontinue using the ingredients after they were found to have the elevated levels. The lawsuit also alleges that the companies either used "dangerously high internal limits" for the amount of toxic heavy metals that were allowed in the foods or didn't implement any specifications.

Janice Patterson, a mother from Kentucky, filed a lawsuit in late April and said her child consumed baby food from Beech-Nut Nutrition Company, Gerber and Walmart from about August 2007 to August 2008. The child was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2012 and has since had a loss of enjoyment of life as well as medical bills.

"Defendants knew they could profit by convincing consumers that their baby foods were heathy and safe for infants, and that full disclosure of presence and/or risks of the Toxic Heavy Metals present in the baby foods would limit the amount of money Defendants would make selling the products," the lawsuit alleges.

A key allegation across the cases is that parents were never warned of the potential risks. Plaintiffs say labeling and product information were “nonexistent, vague, incomplete, and/or otherwise inadequate” in disclosing the presence of heavy metals or associated health risks. The lawsuits also argue that, had families been properly informed, they would not have purchased the products or would have taken steps to reduce exposure.

Dajah Taylor filed a lawsuit in Georgia in May on behalf of her 10-year-old child whom she said was diagnosed with a "debilitating" form of autism spectrum disorder. The child was diagnosed at about 6 years old and consumed the products throughout early childhood.

"To be clear, Defendants are able to manufacture baby foods that do not pose such a dangerous risk to the health of infants and children by using alternative ingredients, not adding certain pre-mix minerals and vitamins high in Toxic Heavy Metals, and/or sampling their ingredients from other sources," Taylor's lawsuit says.

Other lawsuits in Florida involve a 7-year-old with autism spectrum disorder who was diagnosed at about 1 year old, an 8-year-old with autism spectrum disorder who was diagnosed at 2, and two children diagnosed at age 3.

What Baby Products Are Mentioned in the Lawsuits

The lawsuits do not center on just one product line but instead describe a broad range of baby food categories that plaintiffs allege may contain elevated levels of heavy metals.

According to the filings, products flagged in testing and investigations came from Beech-Nut, Gerber, Plum, Walmart, Sun-Maid Growers of California, The Campbell’s Company and Hain Celestial Group, and include:

• Infant rice cereal
• Teething biscuits and rice-based snacks
• Baby food in jars
• Fruit juices such as apple, pear and grape
• Root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes
• Snack foods made with rice flour

Newsweek reached out to Gerber's, Campbell's, Nestle, Plum Organics and Beech-Nut for comment.

2021 Congressional Investigation

A February 2021 congressional staff report found that major commercial baby food products contained “significant levels” of toxic heavy metals—including inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury—based on internal company documents and test results. These metals, which are widely recognized by regulators as dangerous for children, were detected across products from multiple manufacturers, with arsenic, lead and cadmium present in foods from all companies that provided data. The report emphasized that even low exposure levels can harm infant brain development and are associated with long-term neurological effects, including reduced IQ and behavioral issues.

A central finding of the first report was that baby food companies were aware of the contamination but continued selling products anyway. The investigation concluded that manufacturers frequently relied on internal testing that showed elevated metal levels yet failed to warn consumers or remove the products from the market. It also found that industry self-regulation was inadequate, with companies setting their own internal limits for toxic metals—often at levels regulators and health experts would consider unsafe—and sometimes exceeding even those internal thresholds in finished products.

In September 2021, a follow-up report expanded on the concerns, incorporating new data from companies that initially didn't cooperate. It confirmed that additional products contained dangerous levels of heavy metals and highlighted systemic industry shortcomings, including inconsistent testing practices and insufficient oversight. The report also detailed how some companies weakened their own safety standards over time or failed to prioritize comprehensive testing, particularly of finished products, increasing the risk that contamination levels in final foods were higher than reported.

The second report also pointed to specific examples of regulatory and corporate failures, including evidence that some infant rice cereals exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's arsenic threshold of 100 parts per billion. In some cases, recalls were limited in scope despite broader contamination findings, while similar products with comparable arsenic levels remained on the market without action.

Overall, the reports concluded that existing oversight mechanisms—both within the industry and at the federal level—were insufficient to protect infants, calling for stronger standards, mandatory testing of finished products and greater transparency for consumers.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages that would "punish and deter" the defendants from other alleged wrongful practices and ask for a trial by jury.