Products Liability
A recent investigation revealed that Earth’s Best Organic baby food (manufactured by Hain Celestial Group, Inc.) contains dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium. Exposure to these hazardous metals during infancy and childhood has been linked to numerous neurologic disorders such as ADHD and autism.
Our national product liability lawyers are accepting new baby food lawsuits for children (and their parents) who consumed Earth’s Best Organic baby foods and were subsequently diagnosed with autism, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD or ADHD), or other neurologic health conditions.
Our baby food autism attorneys get inquiries every day from parents looking to file an Earth’s best toxic baby food autism lawsuit for their child in 2025. Call our lawyers today for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or reach out to us online.
Earth’s Best Baby Food Lawsuit News & Updates
The Earth’s Best lawsuits are part of a larger wave of toxic baby food litigation that includes other major brands like Gerber, Beech-Nut, and Plum Organics. Studies have linked early-life exposure to heavy metals with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD. The lawsuits against Earth’s Best focus on these claims.
Last year, these lawsuits gained new momentum after the creation of a multidistrict litigation (MDL) to consolidate cases in federal court. The first trial in these lawsuits will be in state court in this spring. Plaintiffs hope to demonstrate that the presence of heavy metals in Earth’s Best baby food caused significant harm to their children.
Here is the latest news and updates from this litigation.
January 20, 2025: 88 Toxic Baby Food Cases Consolidated In Federal Court
The toxic baby food MDL continues to expand, with 88 cases now consolidated in federal court. Plaintiffs are pressing for greater transparency from manufacturers, including Earth’s Best, to determine the extent of their knowledge regarding heavy metal contamination. While discovery battles rage on, this MDL sets the stage for future claims, including individual lawsuits that may arise once causation is more firmly established through expert testimony.
December 27, 2024: Federal Judge Gives Go Ahead To Consumer Baby Food Class Action Related To Arsenic Levels
A federal judge has ruled that claims against Hain Celestial, the maker of Earth’s Best Organic, may proceed in a consumer baby food class action lawsuit related to arsenic levels in its products, while dismissing claims tied to other heavy metals such as lead and cadmium.
The court determined that plaintiffs sufficiently alleged that certain Hain products exceeded FDA safety thresholds for arsenic, making the issue material to reasonable consumers. However, other claims were dismissed due to the lack of specific allegations showing concentrations of other heavy metals in the products posed significant safety risks. This decision narrows the scope of the lawsuit but allows plaintiffs to move forward on allegations that Hain deceptively marketed its baby food as safe and high-quality.
This consumer class action allows a group of plaintiffs to collectively pursue claims against Hain for misrepresenting its baby food products despite unsafe levels of certain heavy metals.
Our legal team is focusing on representing families with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, exploring potential links between heavy metal exposure in baby food and neurological injuries.
December 10, 2024: Toxic Baby Food MDL Sees Increase In Filings
The MDL saw a sharp uptick in filings, bringing the total to 75 cases. This increase reflects growing public awareness of the risks associated with heavy metals in baby food, as more parents come forward to hold manufacturers accountable. Lawyers expect these numbers to climb further as new evidence emerges and more families recognize potential links between baby food consumption and developmental conditions.
October 26, 2024: Evidence Suggests Manufacturers Failed To Notify Consumers
Evidence submitted in discovery suggests that some manufacturers, including Earth’s Best, conducted internal testing that showed elevated levels of arsenic and lead in their products but failed to notify consumers. This revelation could be a turning point in the litigation, as it strengthens allegations of negligence and failure to warn.
July 7, 2024: Toxic Baby Food Cases Face Long Road Ahead
Is there a Earth’s Best heavy metal lawsuit on the horizon? There is unlikely to be a baby food settlement soon. These cases are a war and the defendants’ goal is not a settlement—it is to get these cases dismissed. So few plaintiffs’ attorneys believe settlement discussions will emerge sooner rather than later.
May 20, 2024: New Legislation Mandates Limits On Toxic Metals In Baby Food
New federal legislation has been introduced to mandate science-based limits on toxic metals in baby food. This move could reshape the legal landscape, as compliance with stricter standards in the future might help mitigate risks but will not absolve manufacturers of liability for past actions.
April 12, 2024: Toxic Baby Food MDL Consolidated In California
The toxic baby food MDL, consolidated in the Northern District of California, has brought together claims from across the country. Plaintiffs argue that manufacturers prioritized profits over safety, failing to reform their processes to reduce heavy metal contamination despite years of warnings from advocacy groups and regulators.
Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food Found to Contain High Levels of Toxic Metals
Arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium are heavy metals that are acutely toxic to the human body. Exposure to these types of metals during infancy and childhood has been shown to cause neurological problems in the developing brains of children.
The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy released an investigation report in February 2021 entitled Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury (the “Congressional Report”). The Congressional Report contains the findings from an investigation into allegations that major baby foods were being sold with high levels of toxic heavy metals. The Subcommittee’s findings were based on laboratory testing as well as internal documents voluntarily provided by several baby food manufacturers.
The investigation results in the Congressional Report confirm that Earth’s Best Organic baby foods are contaminated with “significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.” The Congressional Report also summarized the scientific evidence establishing that exposure to these materials is harmful to infant neurological development.
Heavy Metal Levels in Earth’s Best Organic Baby Foods
The Congressional Report found harmful levels of toxic metals in baby food products from 7 of the biggest manufacturers in the U.S., including Hain Celestial Group, which sells baby food products under the popular brand Earth’s Best Organic. The exact levels of these harmful metals found in the various food brands are detailed in the Congressional Report. Earth’s Best Organic had some of the highest levels of all brands, well above the maximum safe levels set by the FDA.
- Arsenic Levels in Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food Inorganic arsenic is considered the most dangerous of all the toxin-heavy metals covered by the Congressional Report. Exposure to arsenic in infancy and early childhood has been linking not only to neurologic problems but can also damage the central nervous system.According to the FDA, the maximum safe arsenic level for bottled water is 10 ppb. The Congressional Report found that Hain Celestial sold finished Earth’s Best Organic baby food products containing as much as 129 ppb, 13 times the maximum limit. Internal documents showed that Hain used ingredients that contained inorganic arsenic as high as 309 ppb.
- Lead Levels in Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food Lead is regarded as the second most dangerous of the heavy metals that are known to pose a threat to human health. Even at very small levels, lead exposure is associated with a range of adverse health conditions, specifically neurologic and cognitive developmental issues in children.The FDA’s maximum safe level for lead in drinking water is 5 ppb and 20 ppb for juice. According to the Congressional Report, Hain used ingredients for Earth’s Best Organic containing as much as 352 ppb lead — 70 times the FDA maximum safe limit for water.
- Mercury Levels in Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food Mercury ranks third after arsenic and lead in terms of the most toxic of the heavy metals at issue in the Congressional Report on baby foods. Research has shown that prenatal mercury exposure can directly cause adverse neurologic development. High blood levels of mercury in toddlers have also been positively associated with increased rates of autism.The acceptable safe levels for mercury are the lowest of all the metals. The FDA has established a maximum safe level of mercury for drinking water at 2 ppb. The Congressional Report does not offer any information about the levels of mercury in Earth’s Best Organic baby foods because Hain Celestial does not test for mercury in its products or ingredients.
- Cadmium Levels in Gerber Baby Food Cadmium ranks 4th on the list of dangerous toxic metals in baby foods. Childhood exposure to Cadmium has been linked to lower IQ and the development of ADHD. The maximum safe limit for cadmium in drinking water is 5 ppb according to the FDA. The Congressional Report found that 75% of the ingredients used by Hain Celestial to make Earth’s Best Organic baby food contained cadmium over 5 ppb. Some of the ingredients used by Hain Celestial contained as much as 87 ppb of cadmium.
Here is what else we learned about Hain that has been a focus of Earth’s Best autism lawsuits. In August 2019, Hain held a closed-door meeting with the FDA. Hain provided the FDA with information on the toxic metals in Earth’s Best. Hain confessed that ingredients in its Baby Food may contain as much as 108 to 129 ppb of arsenic.
Heavy Metals in Baby Food May Cause Autism and Other Conditions
It has been known for a long time that heavy metals have toxic health effects, but a growing body of medical research is emerging that specifically connects exposure to these materials to the development of autism, ADHD, and other neurologic disorders. Higher rates of autism have been linked to regular exposure to heavy metals during gestation, infancy, and childhood.
A 2014 study was one of the first to evaluate the impact of prenatal and early infancy exposures to mercury. The study found that mercury exposure caused a twofold increase in the risk of being diagnosed with autism or ADD. A similar study on children in Korea was published 3 years later and found a similar connection between exposure to mercury and autism/ADD rates.
Arsenic exposure was recently linked to higher autism rates in a meta-analysis study published in 2019 by a research team at the University of Buffalo. A more comprehensive study was published in 2020 which found the same positive association between exposure to mercury, arsenic, and cadmium during infancy and higher rates of autism.
Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food Autism Lawsuits
The Congressional Report detailing the levels of toxic heavy metals in baby foods like Earth’s Best Organic has sparked a number of product liability lawsuits against Hain Celestial by parents claiming that their children developed autism (or other disorders). These lawsuits are partly based on the findings in the Congressional Report which clearly show that Hain Celestial knew that its baby food products contained heavy metals well above the maximum safe limits set by the FDA and decided to sell them anyway.
Since the Congressional Report was published in February 2021, Hain Celestial has been named as a defendant in a number of consumer class action and product liability lawsuits involving toxic metals in baby food products. Our firm is currently seeking toxic baby food lawsuits. Call today for a free consultation.
FAQs on Baby Food Heavy Metal Autism Lawsuits
Why Is There Heavy Metal in Baby Foods?
Heavy metals occur naturally in the environment and make their way into soil and water which then get absorbed into crops like rice and wheat as they grow, which are incorporated into baby foods as raw ingredients.
What Types of Baby Foods Have the Highest Levels of Heavy Metal?
Certain types of baby foods are more susceptible to heavy metal contamination due to the natural absorption of toxins from the soil and water during cultivation. Crops like rice, carrots, and sweet potatoes are particularly prone to absorbing heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and cadmium. As a result, rice-based baby foods, including Earth’s Best oatmeal, often contain some of the highest levels of heavy metals among baby food products. These findings raise significant concerns for parents asking, “Is Earth’s Best baby food safe?”
Rice-based baby cereals and snacks, including products labeled organic, are especially problematic because rice plants absorb arsenic from the soil at much higher rates than other grains. Testing has revealed that some rice cereals exceed the FDA’s recommended action level of 100 parts per billion (ppb) of inorganic arsenic, posing a significant health risk for infants. Similarly, Earth’s Best baby oatmeal, a popular choice for parents, has been flagged for containing elevated levels of heavy metals, including arsenic and lead.
Is Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food Safe?
While marketed as organic and healthy, Earth’s Best baby food has been found to contain heavy metals. Parents should exercise caution and review available safety data and talk to their child’s doctor.
Why Are Heavy Metals in Earth’s Best Baby Food?
Heavy metals are often present in soil and water, and crops like rice, oats, and root vegetables naturally absorb these toxins as they grow. This contamination occurs regardless of whether the crops are organic or conventionally grown, meaning that Earth’s Best baby food products are not immune to the issue. For example, Earth’s Best oatmeal has been flagged for heavy metals, with testing revealing elevated levels of lead and arsenic.
While heavy metals in baby food are a widespread problem, there are ways manufacturers can mitigate the risks. These baby food lawsuits are arguing that little to nothing has been done to make this food safer. So which maybe you cannot get heavy mental to absolute zero, you can get miles further and these companies are not really trying.
What can they do? Sourcing ingredients from low-contamination areas can significantly reduce the presence of toxins in baby food products. Additionally, farmers can use soil and water filtration techniques to limit exposure to contaminated environments during crop cultivation. Rigorous testing of ingredients and final products is another critical step that manufacturers like Earth’s Best could adopt to identify and exclude components with high levels of heavy metals. Advanced manufacturing processes also offer the potential to reduce heavy metals during production.
There is little evidence that our lawyers have seen that Earth’s Best is taking meaningful steps to address these concerns. Despite the alarming levels of heavy metals reported in their products, including their baby oatmeal, Earth’s Best has not provided clear information about efforts to improve sourcing, testing, or manufacturing processes. This lack of transparency has led many parents to question the safety of Earth’s Best baby food and whether the company is doing enough to protect children from the harmful effects of heavy metals.
Do Organic Baby Foods Contain Lower Levels of Heavy Metals?
Mostly no. Organic baby foods may contain higher levels of heavy metals because even though they don’t use pesticides, they are made from ingredients like brown rice which absorb these metals from the soil and water as they grow.
Hiring a Baby Food Lawyer to Fight for Your Child and Family
Our baby food lawyers are representing children with autism and their families. Call our law firm today for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or reach out to us online.