Products Liability
Our law firm is handling Beech-Nut autism lawsuits in all 50 states.
Current research and testing have shown that many commercial baby food products, including Beech-Nut baby food, are tainted with unsafe levels of heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. These metals are very unhealthy, and there is evidence that heavy metal consumption is associated with an increased risk for neurodegenerative disorders, autism, and neurodevelopmental disability.
Our national product liability lawyers are currently accepting new cases from children who may have developed neurologic disorders from consuming contaminated Beech-Nut baby foods.
Our baby food autism lawyers are talking to victims looking to file a Beech-Nut toxic baby food autism lawsuit in 2024. Call our attorneys today for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.
January 2025 Beech-Nut Lawsuit Update
In a new lawsuit, a family from Indianapolis, Indiana, has accused Beech-Nut Nutrition Company of selling baby food products containing unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and aluminum, which they claim caused their child, D.J.B., to suffer neurodevelopmental harm and be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
The complaint alleges that Beech-Nut knowingly used contaminated ingredients, including sweet potatoes and rice, that tested far above safe levels for heavy metals. It also claims that the company failed to adequately test its finished products, manipulated testing processes to obtain passing results, and disregarded its own internal safety thresholds by releasing contaminated food products for sale.
The lawsuit focuses on Beech-Nut’s recall of its single-grain infant rice cereal in 2021 and its exit from the rice cereal market after high levels of arsenic were detected in its products. The complaint alleges that Beech-Nut failed to adequately warn parents about the risks associated with its baby food, denying them the opportunity to make informed choices.
The family seeks compensatory and punitive damages, alleging that Beech-Nut’s negligence in manufacturing, testing, and labeling its products caused significant and lasting harm to their child. This case is part of the broader litigation regarding toxic heavy metals in baby foods.
December 2025 Beech-Nut Lawsuit Update
Right now, plaintiffs’ lawyers and lawyers for Beech-Nut have been battling vigorously over discovery. Plaintiffs’ lawyers have been very frustrated with the company’s transparancy and helpfulness during this pre-trial discovery, especially when it comes to the production of electronic records.
November 2024 Beech-Nut Lawsuit Update
In November 2024, the toxic baby food MDL experienced growth, with 23 new cases added, representing a 44% increase from October’s 20 new cases. This brought the total number of cases to 75.
October 2024 Beech-Nut Lawsuit Update
New testing reports have surfaced as part of discovery in the MDL, revealing internal communications from baby food manufacturers, including Beech-Nut, that acknowledged elevated levels of arsenic and lead in some products. Plaintiffs’ lawyers argue these communications demonstrate that the company was aware of potential risks but failed to disclose them to consumers. This evidence will significantly impact the outcome of pre-trial motions and settlement discussions.
May 2024 Beech-Nut Lawsuit Update
New legislation has been introduced in both houses of Congress to address ongoing concerns about toxic metals in baby food. This proposed law requires federal regulators to establish and enforce science-based limits on arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury levels in baby food.
April 2024 Beech-Nut Lawsuit Update
The various toxic baby food lawsuits spread across federal courts across the nation have now been amalgamated into a consolidated class action MDL situated in the Northern District of California. Judge Jaquline Scott Corley has been appointed to oversee this fresh toxic baby food MDL. The defendants involved in this MDL include major baby food manufacturers such as Gerber, Beech-Nut, and Campbell Soup Co.
January 2024 Beech-Nut Lawsuit Update
Consumers of Beech-Nut Nutrition Co. have successfully reinstated lawsuits accusing the company of not disclosing heavy metals in their baby food products. The Second Circuit overturned a previous dismissal, ruling that waiting for regulatory action from the FDA would unnecessarily delay the litigation. Parents allege that they overpaid for products containing harmful substances like lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals.
These are not the baby food autism cases our firm is handling. This suit is for consumers. But the lawsuit will lay groundwork for a autism lawsuits again Beech-Nut caused by the toxic metals in the company’s baby food.
Beech-Nut Baby Food
The history of Beech-Nut baby food dates back over 100 years. The company was founded in 1891 in Canajoharie, New York, as a manufacturer of smoked meats and other food products. In 1931, Beech-Nut introduced its first line of baby food: strained peas, prunes, and spinach.
In 2001, Beech-Nut was acquired by the Swiss food company Hero Group. Under Hero’s ownership, Beech-Nut continued to focus on developing natural and organic baby food products. In 2015, the company introduced its “Real Food for Babies” campaign, which emphasized its commitment to using simple, natural ingredients in its baby food products.
Beech-Nut baby food is a brand of baby food that offers a variety of products made with natural and organic ingredients. Many parents are trying to do whatever they can to keep their children as healthy as possible by the organics. Beech-Nut offers a range of baby food flavors, including fruits, vegetables, and protein sources, selling to parents that this baby food is safe and meets the nutritional needs of infants and toddlers.
Congressional Report Finds Heavy Metals in Beech-Nut Baby Food
Lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium are elements referred to as toxic heavy metals, and they are very harmful to the human body. Exposure to these elements has been specifically linked to neurological health conditions in children with developing brains. Sadly, a recent investigation by Congress has shown that we may have been feeding these toxic metals to our children for years without realizing it.
In the winter of 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy published a USHR Report entitled Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury (the “USHR Report”). The USHR Report detailed the results of the Subcommittee’s investigation into claims that Beech-Nut and many other commercial baby food brands were being sold with heavy metals above maximum safe limits.
The investigation fully confirmed that Beech-Nut and other major brands of baby foods “are tainted with significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.” The USHR Report also noted the evidence showing that exposure to these contaminants is harmful to infant neurological development and brain function.
So is Beech-Nut baby food safe for your child? This Congressional Report and subsequent findings of toxic heavy metals in their products raise real concerns. Again, these heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, and mercury, pose significant health risks of brain injury in all humans but especially for developing children. Despite these concerns, Beech-Nut does not seem to have done much different.
Heavy Metal Levels in Beech-Nut Baby Foods
Let’s look closer at the result of the testing done on baby food products from sevebof the largest manufacturers in the U.S., including Beech-Nut, were found to contain unsafe levels of heavy metals, according to the USHR Report. The USHR Report provided information on the exact level of toxins found in the various food brands based on testing. Beech-Nut was one of the worst brands regarding lead, arsenic, and cadmium levels. Beech-Nut brand foods had some of the highest levels of these three toxic metals, higher than any other brands.
- Arsenic Levels in Beech-Nut Baby Food: Arsenic is considered the most hazardous of all the toxin-heavy metals covered by the USHR Report. When children are exposed regularly to arsenic, it is known to cause not only neurologic problems but can also damage the central nervous system. The maximum safe arsenic level for bottled water set by the FDA is ten ppb (parts per billion). The USHR Report found that Beech-Nut used ingredients after they tested as high as 913 ppb arsenic – 91 times the FDA’s maximum safe limit. Digest that: 91 times! This was the highest arsenic level for any ingredient used by any manufacturer. The USHR Report also found that Beech-Nut regularly used “high-arsenic” additives that tested over 300 ppb (30 times the FDA limit).
- Lead Levels in Beech-Nut Baby Food: Even at minimal levels, lead is associated with a range of bad health outcomes, particularly neurologic and cognitive developmental issues in children. This is why lead is considered the second most harmful heavy metal regularly found in baby foods.5 ppb is the FDA’s maximum safe lead level for drinking water. The USHR Report concluded that Beech-Nut used ingredients containing as much as 886 ppb lead in its baby food. That is a staggering 177 times the maximum safe lead levels set by the FDA. The USHR Report also noted that Beech-Nut used many ingredients with high lead levels, including 89 that contained over 15 ppg lead and 57 with over 20 ppb lead.
- Mercury Levels in Beech-Nut Baby Food: Mercury ranks third as the most harmful heavy metals featured in the USHR Report on baby foods after arsenic and lead. According to various studies, prenatal mercury exposure can lead to adverse neurologic development. Testing has also shown that high blood levels of mercury in toddlers have been positively associated with “autistic behaviors.” Even at extremely low levels, mercury can be harmful. The FDA has set the maximum safe mercury level in drinking water at two ppb. The USHR Report states that Beech-Nut does not perform any testing for mercury in its finished products or ingredients. So we have no data on levels. Why doesn’t Beech-Nut test for mercury?
- Cadmium Levels in Beech-Nut Baby Food: Cadmium exposure in children has been linked to the development of ADHA and lower IQ. The FDA’s maximum safe limit for cadmium in drinking water is five ppb. The USHR Report found that Beech-Nut was one of the worst brands in terms of cadmium levels in its products. According to the report, Beech-Nut used 105 ingredients that tested over 20 ppb cadmium, and some of its ingredients tested as high as 344 ppb cadmium.
Has this led to a Beechnut baby food recall? It has not (except for an unrelated recall discussed below). This company continues on making money in spite of thee revelations.
What Makes Beech-Nut Baby Food Stand Out in the Lawsuits?
Beech-Nut baby food has garnered significant attention in the ongoing toxic baby food lawsuits because of the exceptionally high levels of heavy metals found in its products. Among all the baby food companies implicated in the 2021 Congressional Report, Beech-Nut’s products stood out as some of the most contaminated. As we discuss above, the internal testing revealed alarming figures, with arsenic levels in certain Beech-Nut baby food ingredients reaching as high as 913 parts per billion (ppb) and lead levels climbing to 886 ppb. These amounts far exceed the limits considered safe by federal guidelines for other products like bottled water, which is capped at just 10 ppb for arsenic and 5 ppb for lead. In what universe are these numbers not shocking?
The report also highlighted that Beech-Nut Nutrition Company knowingly used ingredients that tested dangerously high for toxic metals, such as arsenic and lead, in their final products. For example, the company continued to include ingredients with arsenic levels of over 300 ppb in their baby food even after receiving internal test results that flagged these unsafe levels. These numbers are not just statistical outliers—they represent a systemic issue with Beech-Nut’s quality control practices and decision-making.
Compared to other baby food manufacturers such as Gerber, Plum Organics, and Earth’s Best, Beech-Nut’s products have consistently demonstrated higher contamination levels. While all these companies were cited in the report for toxic heavy metals, the degree of contamination in Beech-Nut baby food was among the highest, making it a focal point in lawsuits alleging that contaminated baby food caused developmental disorders like autism and ADHD in children.
Parents who fed their infants Beech-Nut baby food have expressed outrage not only at the contamination but also at Beech-Nut’s failure to issue adequate warnings, recalls, or much of anything. Despite mounting evidence and public outcry, Beech-Nut has yet to take full accountability, leaving many families feeling betrayed by a brand they trusted to provide safe, nutritious products for their children.
Alaska Data
Alaska’s Department of Environmental Health Laboratory analyzed Beech-Nut’s and Gerber’s infant rice cereals, which the FDA funded. The analysis found that “multiple samples” of these cereals contained levels of inorganic arsenic that exceeded the FDA’s limit of 100 parts per billion (ppb). The lab tested baby food samples produced by the brands at issue that were sold in Anchorage supermarkets. The report claimed that Beech-Nut’s and Gerber’s infant rice cereals contained levels of inorganic arsenic that exceeded the FDA’s 100 parts per billion (ppb) limit, which is already considered a dangerously high standard and is now being lowered by the FDA. Beech-Nut’s products contained as much as 125 ppb of inorganic arsenic and averaged 85.47 ppb.
In early June 2021, Beech-Nut Nutrition voluntarily recalled its Stage 1 Single Grain Rice Cereal due to concerns over high levels of arsenic. The recall was initiated after the Alaska Division of Public Health found that samples of the product contained inorganic arsenic levels that exceeded the FDA’s recommended level of 100 parts per billion.
The recalled products have the product codes 103470XXXX and 093470XXXX and were distributed nationally through retail stores and online. Consumers who purchased these products were advised to stop using them immediately and to contact Beech-Nut for a refund or exchange.
Beech-Nut Nutrition stated that it had stopped producing the rice cereal and was transitioning to using other ingredients. The company also indicated that it was committed to transparency and would continue to work with the FDA and other regulatory agencies to ensure the safety of its products.
Heavy Metals in Beech-Nut Baby Food May Cause Autism and Other Conditions
The general toxic health effects of heavy metals are well recognized. Recently, however, a growing body of research is beginning to specifically connect exposure to these materials to autism, ADD, and other neurologic conditions. Numerous medical studies have made a connection between regular exposure to heavy metals during infancy and childhood and higher rates of autism.
A study published in 2014 sought to evaluate the impact of prenatal and early infancy exposures to mercury. The study results suggested that mercury exposure caused a twofold increase in the risk of developing both autism and ADD. Three years later, in 2017, a similar study on children in Korea found the exact same association between mercury exposure and autism/ADD rates.
A possible connection between early-age exposure to arsenic e and higher autism rates was identified in a meta-analysis study conducted by a University of Buffalo research team and published in 2019. A more comprehensive study was published in 2020, which found the same positive association between autism and exposure to mercury, arsenic, and cadmium during infancy.
Beech-Nut Baby Food Autism Lawsuits
The USHR Report has led to many product liability lawsuits against Beech-Nut by parents claiming that their children developed autism (or other disorders) from heavy metals in commercial baby foods like Beech-Nut. Part of the basis for these lawsuits are the findings in the USHR Report, which clearly show that Beech-Nut was aware that its baby food products contained heavy metals well above the maximum safe limits set by the FDA.
Beech-Nut baby food lawsuits allege that:
- Their baby food products contained harmful substances or ingredients that led to the development of ASD, such as heavy metals, toxins, or contaminants.
- The manufacturers failed to adequately test their products for safety or disclose the presence of these substances.
- The companies failed to provide sufficient warnings or instructions about the risks associated with their products.
- The companies engaged in false advertising or misleading marketing practices that led parents to believe their products were safe and healthy for their children.
To win, plaintiffs’ lawyers must establish a causal link between the baby food products and the development of autism in their children. This will require scientific evidence, expert testimony, and epidemiological studies to support the connection. The evidence to support these claims is growing by the day.
Hiring a Beech-Nut Baby Food Autism Lawyer
Since the USHR Report was published in February 2021, Beech-Nut Products Company has been named a defendant in many consumer class action and product liability lawsuits involving toxic metals in baby food products. A lot of lawyers fired up about these lawsuits and the prospects of holding these baby food makers accountable.
Our firm is currently seeking Beech-Nut toxic baby food lawsuits. Call today for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or reach out to us online.