Congressmen Krishnamoorthi and Cárdenas, Senators Duckworth and Klobuchar, Introduce Legislation to Limit Toxic Heavy Metals Found in Baby Food

WASHINGTON – This week, Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) introduced the Baby Food Safety Act of 2024, legislation to set limits on dangerous heavy metals found in baby food, including lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. The bill also empowers the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set initial limits on these elements within a specified timeframe and mandate sampling and testing standards for food manufacturers.

The Senate companion bill is led by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). 

“Even three years after the release of my groundbreaking report that found dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals in leading baby foods, those same neurotoxins are still present at levels that risk the health and well-being of our children,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “My legislation will empower the FDA to set limits for the levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, and inorganic arsenic in baby food with meaningful deadlines, while mandating sampling, testing, and reporting requirements for baby food manufacturers. I urge our colleagues from both parties to pass this bicameral legislation to address the dangers of heavy metals in baby food and keep our kids safe.”

“As a father, I understand the immense responsibility we have to protect our children,” Congressman Cárdenas said. “That's why I'm proud to join this bicameral common-sense effort that will lead to more thorough oversight and will demand accountability from baby food manufacturers. Every American parent deserves the peace of mind of knowing that the baby food they provide is safe and free from harmful substances that could impact their child's health in the long term.”

“All parents deserve to have confidence that the baby and toddler food they feed their children is safe and nutritious, but reports that many commonly sold products could contain harmful substances like lead that pose risks to our babies are deeply troubling,” Sen. Duckworth said. “I’m proud to help introduce legislation alongside Senator Klobuchar to address this issue, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and the FDA to make sure that what we feed our children will help them grow up safe and healthy.”

“Parents want what’s best for their children, and they deserve peace of mind knowing the food they purchase for their babies and toddlers is safe,” Sen. Klobuchar said. “This legislation will boost food safety standards and require more complete testing by manufacturers to prevent heavy metals from poisoning our kids.”

The Baby Food Safety Act of 2024 would: 

1. Raise standards for baby foods to protect infants and toddlers from toxic heavy metals (i.e., lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury) and other potential contaminants and mandates that baby food have no more than the maximum allowable limits for toxic heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, as determined by FDA.

2. Set standards for sampling and testing of commercial food products for contaminants, including toxic heavy metals in baby food.

3. Strengthen the FDA’s ability to enforce higher safety standards for commercial baby food as well as imported food products.

High exposure to toxic heavy metals may pose significant health risks to infant neurological development and long-term brain function.

This legislation, which Congressman Krishnamoorthi also introduced in 2021, comes following his 2021 investigation that led to the FDA’s “Closer to Zero” action plan, an initiative to set limits on certain toxic heavy metals in baby food.

In December 2023, Congressman Krishnamoorthi was joined by seven colleagues in the House and Senate in calling on the FDA to take further action following more than 50 reported cases of lead poisoning and subsequent recall of popular baby food brands.

In March, Congressman Krishnamoorthi confronted FDA Commissioner Robert Califf on the FDA’s inability to provide an answer on why meaningful standards for baby food have not been established.

The full bill text can be found here.