According to Class Action Lawsuits, These Are The Worst Baby Food Brands in America

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Baby Food Products Class Action Lawsuits Overview: 

• Who: Class action lawsuits and recalls have affected a number of baby food brands recently, including Gerber, Plum Organics, Beech-Nut and Similac, among others. 
• Why: Claims against baby food products range from that they contain toxic heavy metals to allegations they are mislabeled and falsely advertised.
• Where: Class action lawsuits and recalls against baby food products have occurred nationwide.

Choosing something to eat may never be more important than when it comes to deciding what to feed your baby or infant child. 

Baby food products come in a variety of different formulas and with a number of claims related to how they will improve or maintain the health of your child. 

Despite this, baby food is a common target for class action lawsuits with claims ranging from false advertising and mislabeling to dangerous and contaminated ingredients, among other things. 

With that in mind, TCA is taking a look at the baby food brands which, according to recent class action lawsuits and the consumers behind them, make them the worst in America: 

Toxic Heavy Metal Report Leads To Swarm Of Consumer Claims

A swarm of class action lawsuits were filed last year after a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee released a report in February revealing the presence of toxic heavy metals in a number of popular baby food products.  

The subcommittee found baby food from some of the nation’s most popular and largest brands, including Beech-Nut, Earth’s Best Organic, Gerber, HappyBABY, Parent’s Choice, Plum Organics and Sprout Foods, was contaminated with toxic heavy metals, such as cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury. 

Plum Organics was one company that came under fire following the report,with a class action lawsuit alleging it failed to disclose that its baby food product contained high levels of toxic heavy metals. 

Plum, along with Campbell Soup Co., which sold the brand in May of last year, were unsuccessful in an attempt to get the complaint dismissed in December. 

In September, meanwhile, Gerber faced claims it had broken public trust by failing to disclose that its baby food was contaminated with toxic heavy metals. 

“Baby food manufacturers hold a special position of public trust. Consumers believe that they would not sell products that are unsafe for babies to consume,” the class action lawsuit stated. 

Also in September, Nurture Inc., the maker of Happy Baby Organics, had 17 separate class action lawsuits filed against it over the presence of toxic heavy metals consolidated into one by a New York federal judge. 

Consumers claimed they had been personally injured by consuming allegedly unsafe baby foods manufactured and sold by Nurture. 

Nurture was also involved in a separate class action lawsuit, filed in June, that claimed the company, along with Whole Foods and Target, sold Happy Tot brand baby food containing dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals. 

The congressional subcommittee’s report also led to a probe in April from the New York attorney general’s office into a potential arsenic contamination in the baby food manufacturer’s rice cereal baby food products. 

Later, in June, Beech-Nut announced a recall for its single grain rice cereal product after discovering it contained more non-organic arsenic than what is allowed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Baby Food Consumers Cry Foul With False Advertising, Mislabeling Claims

Consumers have also recently targeted baby food brands with claims revolving around false and misleading advertising. 

Last month, a class action lawsuit targeting Sprout Foods Inc. alleged the company unlawfully and falsely markets some of its baby food products as being healthier than other brands for children under the age of 2. The complaint claims Sprout skirted FDA regulations by labeling its products with nutrient content claims for children younger than 2 years old.

Also last month, a consumer filed a class action lawsuit against Enfamil in which they argued the company falsely advertises its baby food products as being “milk-based.” 

The consumer, Cecilia Martinez, claims that, despite its marketing, the main ingredient in Enfamil’s baby food products is actually corn syrup solids. 

Back in December, meanwhile, a consumer claimed Gerber falsely advertises its baby food products as being “Non-GMO.” 

Plaintiff Faith Norman claims Gerber’s baby food does in fact contain genetically modified organisms, in addition to other artificial ingredients. 

Potential For Adverse Health Effects Leads To Baby Food Recalls

A number of baby food product recalls revolving around the potential for adverse health effects have also recently occured.

Just this month, the FDA expanded an earlier recall for certain Abbott Nutrition’s Similac brand baby formulas found to possibly be contaminated with cronobacter.

The FDA originally announced a recall on Feb. 17 for certain Similac, Alimentum and EleCare baby formulas.

The expanded recall followed the death of a second baby who had consumed Similac PM 60/40 baby formula and subsequently contracted a lethal cronobacter sakazakii infection. 

Similac and Enfamil baby formulas are also at the center of an investigation into whether they cause newborn or premature babies to develop necrotizing enterocolitis. 

In January, meanwhile, Moor Herbs announced it was recalling its Angel Formula for infants after discovering it contained levels of iron, potassium and sodium that were over the maximum allowed amount. Further, Moor revealed the infant formula did not contain any Vitamin D, which could lead to a deficiency, the company said. 

Going back to June of last year, the FDA warned in a recall notice that Designed by Nature of California brand goats milk and other powdered baby formula products had not been properly tested and lacked nutrients that infants require. 

The FDA wrote in its recall notice that Designed had further failed to inform parents that its products were not meant for infants under the age of 12 months, thus potentially misleading them. 

A failure to meet FDA requirements was also at the center of an August recall for baby food products sold under brands owned by Europe-based Able Groupe. The FDA recall, which included baby food brands HiPP, Bioland and Kendamil, was initiated after the agency discovered they contained insufficient iron in accordance with American standards. 

Have you purchased any of the baby food products listed above? Let us know in the comments!

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Sprout Class Action Alleges Baby Food Mislabeling
• Abbott Nutrition Baby Formula Recall Prompts Senate Inquiry
• Similac Formula Recall Expands After Another Baby Dies of Cronobacter Infection
• Toxic Baby Food | Autism and Other Disorders Lawsuit Claim Review