Information updated July and August 2023

POTENTIAL BABY FOOD TOXICITY: There is significant, current and scary data regarding the presence of ingredients which are not on any ingredient labels >> the toxic components which have seeped into almost all of the manufactured foods + beverages we consume and, by definition, most mass-produced baby foods. (Source: Subcommittee report 2021)

Here is additional information on toxins in many Baby Foods from Healthy Babies Bright Futures:

BABY FOOD TOXINS

GERBER BABY FOODS is owned by Switzerland-based Nestlé.

Following are three statements from the Nestlé Corporate Web site:

With those declarations from Nestlé in mind, let’s look at what’s in the Nestlé-owned #1 Baby Food in the U.S., Gerber. (Source for Brand ranking: Statista 2023)

STARTING WITH HOMEMADE: For easy means of comparison to Gerber and other manufactured Baby Foods, here is a quick look at what ingredients are in homemade Baby Foods >> any ingredient not in homemade Baby Foods is designated as Not In Kitchen™ >> these are ingredients we would never use at home to make Baby Foods.

Homemade Baby Foods include real and whole foods alone or in combination including Fruits, Veggies, Grains, Fish+Fowl+Beef and possibly Dairy. Although some of these ingredients contain Naturally-occurring Sugars, there is no Added Sugar in homemade Baby Food, so Sugar is designated as an ingredient which is Not In Kitchen as we look at these Baby Foods.

Our goal is to find manufactured Baby Foods which are Closest To Homemade® >> Baby Foods whose ingredients are closest to those we would use at home to make any given item.

ALMOST ALL OF NESTLE GERBER BABY FOODS CONTAIN INGREDIENTS Not In Kitchen: Many Nestlé Gerber products contain FDA-recognized Chemical Preservatives including Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid and Mixed Tocopherols. (Sources: Nestlé Gerber Web site 7/23; U.S. FDA 2023)

Unless specifically noted as ‘Naturally-occurring Citric Acid, Manufactured Citric Acid is made in a laboratory utilizing Aspergillus niger, a.k.a. Black Mold. (Source: National Library of Medicine U.S. Institutes of Health)

Learn more about potential reactions to Manufactured Citric Acid from a study — Potential role of the common food additive manufactured citric acid in eliciting significant inflammatory reactions contributing to serious disease states: A series of four case reports

From the study:

“Citric acid naturally exists in fruits and vegetables. However, it is not the naturally occurring citric acid, but the manufactured citric acid (MCA) that is used extensively as a food and beverage additive. Approximately 99% of the world’s production of MCA is carried out using the fungus Aspergillus niger since 1919. Aspergilus niger is a known allergen.”

The conclusion of this study is:

“We cannot conclusively affirm that Manufactured Citric Acid is the causative factor in the subjects’ inflammatory symptoms. However, our findings demonstrate a significant likelihood that MCA may be the culprit and are suggestive of valid concerns which warrant proper double blind studies to determine presence or absence of harm.”

Source: National Library of Medicine U.S. Institutes of Health

The greater issue of concern is Accumulation >> it wouldn’t necessarily be a big deal if we consumed these Chemical Preservatives once in a while, but they are pervasive, especially in leading brands which tend to be from the biggest food companies. Check your pantry and fridge for just Citric Acid and you may be shocked by what you find. Click here to learn more about the study:

MANUFACTURED citric acid

Seen below, NESTLE GERBER SPIRAL PASTA WITH TURKEY MEAT SAUCE IS BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS. Whole Foods cites certain ingredients as “Unacceptable in food” including Bleached Flours and there is Bleached Wheat Flour in this Nestlé Gerber Toddler Food. (Source for banned ingredients: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 7/23)

NOTE: The FDA does not allow products which contain the ingredient in these Nestlé Gerber products — Autolyzed Yeast Extract — to say ‘No MSG’ on the package front because they both contain potentially harmful Glutamates.

Many food manufacturers have switched from using MSG — which has considerable negative consumer attitudes and awareness — to seemingly less innocuous options for Taste Enhancers which naturally contain MSG such as Autolyzed Yeast Extract, which few people have heard of and it has the word ‘Yeast’ in it which we know is in bread and beer (so how bad could it be?).

From the FDA Web site 7/23: “MSG occurs naturally in ingredients such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate . . . foods with any ingredient that naturally contains MSG cannot claim “No MSG” or “No added MSG” on their packaging.”

Nestlé states, “It is well known that what we eat and drink as children sets the foundation for our adult lives” . . . and then Nestlé adds multiple Sugar sources to Main Meal Gerber offerings for Toddlers . . . and Autolyzed Yeast Extract.

Shown below, DESPITE THE PACKAGE GRAPHICS WHICH DEPICT REAL CRANBERRIES AND ORANGES, NESTLE GERBER ORGANIC CRANBERRY ORANGE PUFFS (seen below) HAVE NO REAL CRANBERRY AND NO REAL ORANGE . . . JUST THE FLAVOR OF THOSE FRUITS.

These Gerber Puffs contain Organic Cane Sugar as their third ingredient plus they have three FDA-recognized Preservatives >> Citric Acid and Mixed Tocopherols. There are also other ingredients Not In Kitchen such as Acetic Acid which is likely there to simulate the tart flavor of missing Cranberries. The Citric Acid may also be included to simulate a fruit flavor >> Oranges >> but, regardless of why Nestlé included the Citric Acid, it is, nonetheless, an FDA-recognized Preservative.

NESTLE ADDS SUGAR TO MULTIPLE GERBER PRODUCTS: If Nestlé truly believes what they say >> “It is well known that what we eat and drink as children sets the foundation for our adult lives” (Source: Nestlé Web site 2023) >> why do they add Sugar to these Gerber products for Toddlers and Crawlers?

The Nestlé Gerber products designed for teething babies 7+ months and Crawlers — shown below — contain added Sugar.

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE BABY FOODS: Following are some Baby Foods which are Closest To Homemade . . . and some notes on why others are not . . .

*Neither money nor products are ever accepted to appear on the Closest To Homemade list*

Demeter biodynamic® certification has zero tolerance for genetic modification including the use of any GMO organisms or ingredients. Biodynamic® products are sourced from biodynamic farms which practice regenerative farming >> items are grown and raised here in a way which helps heal the soil and the earth, so they not only taste great and have optimal nutrition but they help combat climate change >> they remove carbon from the atmosphere and put it back into the soil. Find out more about Biodynamic® farming from Demeter — the only certifier in the U.S. for Biodynamic® farms and products:

BIODYNAMIC® FARMING + FOOD

See the Ingredient Inspector review of Plum Organics Baby Food:

plum organics baby food

Seen below, Danone-owned Happy Family (Happy Baby, Happy Tot) has been sued for the presence of lead in some of their products >> lawsuit issued June 2021; read more here:

happy baby lawsuit

This has now spiraled into the consolidation of 17 individual lawsuits against Happy Baby:

HAPPY BABY CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT