'Organic' fruit, veggie snacks for kids have high levels of lead, Consumer Reports finds

A handful of children's snacks with fruit, vegetables and 'organic' in the labeling could also contain unsafe amounts of lead, Consumer Reports announced this week.

Snacks from LesserEvil and Serenity Kids, which are sold at retailers including Amazon, Target and Walmart, claim to be healthier alternatives with no added sugars, but Consumer Reports is warning parents that some of these snacks may end up causing more harm than good.

The tests also included products from Once Upon a Farm, which showed remarkably low levels of lead.

"In the LesserEvil products and the one from Serenity Kids we found concerning amounts of lead," Director of Food Policy, Brian Ronholm, told USA TODAY about the findings. "It's problematic exposing kids to lead at such an early age. It creates a problem because there's no safe level of lead for kids."

In the publication's findings, harmful chemicals and metals such as arsenic, cadmium and mercury were found in some of the products. In addition:

• Two LesserEvil products and one product from Serenity Kids, made with cassava flour, showed high amounts of lead in testing.
• And of the six products that were tested, LesserEvil’s Lil’ Puffs Intergalactic Voyager Veggie Blend had more lead per serving than the 80 baby foods the organization has tested since 2017.

"Even a small amount of lead can increase the risk of developmental problems such as a lower IQ, attention deficit (disorder), hyperactivity and autism," Ronholm said. "When you expose babies to these levels at such a young age, it only enhances that risk."

As for Once Upon a Farm, which uses sorghum in its tested snacks instead of other ingredients such as cassava, the Consumer Reports tests found those products "had some of the lowest lead levels of all the baby foods we’ve ever tested."

Here’s what you should know about the Consumer Reports findings.

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Consumer Reports tests kids snacks for lead

Consumer Reports tested six children snacks for levels of lead. The lead levels were tested using the California’s maximum allowable dose level to gauge the amount of lead that each product contains.

Consumer Reports suggest serving size for children snacks that contain lead

Based on the lead levels found in the six products tested, the Consumer Reports has created a suggested serving size for each of the products.

Although the organization has issued this guideline for parents to follow, Ronholm suggests that parents slowly limit their children's intake of the products they have tested.

"(Try giving it to them) once a week and then try to diversify the offerings to your children too, because since it's so ubiquitous in other food products, they're definitely gonna get exposed to lead in other food products as well," he said. "Parents really need to be careful about how often they provide these snacks to kids."

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LesserEvil's response to the Consumer Reports findings

USA TODAY reached out to LesserEvil for comment regarding their products having a high amounts of lead in the Consumer Reports findings.

"All LesserEvil products adhere to current regulatory requirements," Brand Marketing Director at LesserEvil, Caitlin Mack, said in a statement to USA TODAY. "LesserEvil was built on a mission to create better, cleaner, more natural products than the highly processed and refined snacks that overtook grocery store shelves for years."

LesserEvil maintains that the company use products that are deemed safe and adhere to federal regulations.

"Food safety is a top priority and we conduct extensive testing for all LesserEvil products that complies with California Prop 65 and federal standards," Mack said.

Consumer Reports advice for parents

Consumer Reports said that consuming a few servings of the products with higher amounts of lead will not pose an immediate risk. However, food that has heavy metals present should be limited.

Here's some advice that the Consumer Reports are sending to parents:

• Limit your children's snack intake: Although these snacks may be quick and easy to grab Consumer Reports warns parents that these products are highly processed and aren't the healthiest options.
• Feed your children alternative food options: Giving your children healthier options in a cooked, puréed or mashed format can introduce and help them maintain a better diet. Some of the food options include:
  • Apples
  • Applesauce (unsweetened)
  • Avocados
  • Bananas
  • Beans
  • Butternut squash
  • Cheese
  • Eggs
  • Green beans
  • Baby food meats
  • Oats and other whole grains (except rice)
  • Peaches
  • Strawberries
  • Yogurt
• Reduce the consumption of fruit juices and pouches: Consumer Reports said that these products contain high amounts of sugar and many of them have harmful chemicals like arsenic and lead.
• Rotate foods that may have heavy metals but have essential nutrients: The following foods do contain heavy metals in them but can be beneficial if consumed in moderation:
  • Fresh cassava
  • Carrots
  • Rice
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Other root vegetables 

Ronholm advises parents to limit their children's intake of these snacks but wants to remind them that these products aren't as detrimental as the cinnamon fruit pouches that contained toxic lead levels.

"A few servings of these puffs isn't gonna create an immediate health risk to the child much like the the pouches did," he said. "From that standpoint, there's no need for parents to panic."

Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at aforbes@gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter).

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