Parents who create homemade purees for their babies, to reduce toxic metal, will find that their efforts are insufficient.

A new study has found that homemade and store bought manufactured baby food both contain high levels of toxic heavy metals.

According to the study, by Healthy Babies Bright Futures, there is no evidence to suggest that homemade purees are generally safer.

Healthy Babies Bright Futures is a research centre that designs and implements programmes to reduce babies’ exposures to toxic chemicals in the first 1,000 days of development.

“We found no evidence to suggest that homemade baby foods made from store-bought produce are better than store-bought baby foods when it comes to heavy metal contamination,” Jane Houlihan, research director for Healthy Babies Bright Futures told CNN.

Findings from the study

The study tested 288 foods bought at stores and farmers market across the United States. These included fruits, vegetables, grains, cereals, snacks and teething foods.

All food items mentioned were tested for lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium- toxic metals listed among the World Health Organization’s top 10 chemicals of concern for babies and toddlers.

Researchers for the study also used data from 7,000 additional food tests reported in published studies and by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The results found that 94 per cent of both manufactured baby food and homemade purees made from purchased raw food contained one or more heavy metals.

Lead was found in 90 per cent of manufactured baby food. But, it was also found in 80 per cent of store bought produce and homemade purees.

Arsenic was also found in 68 per cent of manufactured food and 72 per cent of homemade foods.

Cadmium was found in 65 per cent of purchased baby food and 60 per cent of family foods. Mercury was in seven per cent of store-bought baby food and 10 per cent of family foods.

How to reduce heavy metals

The report also found that buying organic produce does not reduce the presence of toxic heavy metals.

“It’s the soil and water that’s contaminated with arsenic and other heavy metals, so it doesn’t matter if it’s organic or traditional farming methods,” Mark Corkins, chair of the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics told CNN.

However, organic food can help reduce pesticides which are also harmful for babies.

To limit the consumption of heavy metals, experts suggest a diverse diet to reduce exposure and the avoidance of certain foods completely.

These foods are as listed in the chart below. Items seen with an (x) should be avoided at all costs.