By: Roberta
October 4, 2018
As a mother, I always want to give my daughter the best, especially when it comes to the food that she eats. I always made sure from the start that I buy organic foods, whether it be snacks, pouches, food in general and her milk. I still do the same, however the new discovery of concerning levels of heavy metals in baby food has made me question a lot! I always turned to organic food and products when it came to her because that is what I thought was the best and healthiest option. From the jump, I always bought baby food brands such as Beechnut, Earth’s Best, Happy Baby, Plum Organics and Gerber Organics. I continue to do so, however I am more cautious now and you should be too. When my daughter was just a couple of weeks old, I had gone to a Walmart to buy her formula. I remember standing in the aisle with my boyfriend for about 5 minutes. We noticed Similac non-gmo and just regular Similac formula. Quickly we googled the difference between the two and found out that the non-GMO contains ingredients that are not genetically engineered. Of course the non-GMO was a couple of dollars more expensive. But we thought to ourselves, why is there even an option when it comes to formula? Why are there genetically modified organisms in formula? That is when my skepticism in the food industry especially when it comes to baby food, started to occur. A couple weeks ago, my sister had sent me a link about the new findings of concerning levels of heavy metal in baby food. Not to my surprise, many of these products were sitting right in our food pantry. I had chosen organic always because I thought of it as a better option. But is it really? Where is the FDA when this is all happening? I now try to avoid those foods, even though it saddens me because they were some of her favorites. My advice to other mothers is to always look into what you are giving your child and that homemade is the best way. This link will take you to the website discussing this issue along with a list of foods that are a concern for your child: https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/heavy-metals-in-baby-food/
From Birth to Parenting (The Stuff No One Tells You) 