Babylife Organics eyes “soil to spoon” transparency with heavy metal reporting in baby foods

US-based Babylife Organics is targeting heavy metal awareness in baby foods by “publicly reporting” test results in its latest line of fruit and vegetable blend purées. The move aims to give parents and caregivers “complete transparency and clear explanations” to ensure safe food for babies.

Consumers can scan a QR code printed on the packaging to access the test result and also see a detailed report of the purchased product with additional steps.

“We are the first Regenerative Organic Certified baby food; the first to conduct four-point heavy metal testings; the first to publish finished goods test results; and the first to share actual levels (not just benchmarks), measured in parts per billion, so that parents can finally understand exactly what they are feeding their babies,” Richard Harford, CEO of Babylife Organics, tells Food Ingredients First.

“Every batch is tested by a third-party lab for levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury at four critical steps of the sourcing and production process. The final point of testing is “finished goods,” and once approved, the results are loaded into the back end of our website.”

CEO Richard Harford with co-founder Doug Brent.“In 2018, I watched the baby food industry hit a crisis level when unacceptable levels of heavy metals were found in nearly every brand of baby food sampled by a third-party watchdog. As someone who has worked in organic food for decades, I knew how hard it was for most brands to navigate their supply chains.” 

“Most brands work with multiple suppliers and then process their food at a completely different plant. There are just too many inputs and opportunities for things to go array.”

The products are sold at supermarket chain Whole Food Market in the US in jars and pouches, with its Stage 1 jars and Stage 2 pouches introduced in flavors such as spinach, apple, pear and blueberry; peach, pear, strawberry, banana and watermelon; carrot, pear, beet and blackberry; plum, pear, strawberry and banana.

Honing in on soil health

Babylife Organics’ products are formulated using fruits and vegetables from Fair Trade Certified Farms and are certified USDA Organic, notes the Colorado-based company. They are also free from additives, including citric acid, water and artificial preservatives.

The team has partnered with vertically integrated farmers to grow, harvest and produce the baby food from regenerative organic fields and wild orchards across Türkiye, notes the company. 

Babylife Organics has “spent the last decade becoming experts in soil health and how it contributes to better food," says CEO Richard Harford.“While it’s impossible to eliminate heavy metals altogether, whether that’s in homemade food or in a manufactured product, we can source produce from farms where industrial contamination is minimized and soil health is prioritized,” shares Harford.

The products are certified for Soil to Spoon Transparency, for which Babylife Organics tests them four times: soil, raw ingredients, prepared ingredients and the final ready-to-eat product, states the company.

The company also believes that “better soil creates better food,” for which it incorporates  regenerative organic practices in product manufacturing. 

However, Harford clarifies that Regenerative Organic Certification and regenerative agriculture “do not have a direct correlation to heavy metals in ingredients and baby foods.”

“For Babylife, it is our full control of the supply chain from farm to finished good production that is the key to delivering both heavy metal safety and Regenerative Organic Certification. This is the highly unique common thread between the two that allows us to deliver against both.”

Federal standards

Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and metalloid arsenic can delay brain development in babies and young children, and the FDA is working on new regulations for the threshold of arsenic, cadmium and mercury that can be allowed in infant food as part of its Closer to Zero Action Plan.

The foods covered in the draft guidance for babies and young children include food packaged in jars, pouches, tubs and boxes and intended for babies and young children less than two years old.

According to FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, for babies and young children who eat these foods, “the FDA estimates that the proposed action levels could result in as much as a 24-27% reduction in exposure to lead from these foods.”

Babylife Organics’ products are released in 15 varieties of Stage 1 jars and Stage 2 pouches.Meanwhile, Harford believes that federal standards for heavy metals in baby food “are coming in the near future — our kids deserve it. In the meantime, we urge other companies to look at the EU for guidance since their standards are much higher than anything here in the US.”

Babylife Organics claims that the company’s products either “meet or exceed” benchmarks set forth by the European Union Food Safety Policy, a superior standard adopted to address the absence of FDA standards in the US.

Recently, heavy metals have also been found in cocoa products in the US, in a study that revealed that organic products were more likely to contain a higher level of toxins.

Driving brand expansion

Harford expects the company’s focus on “high standards and commitment to transparency” to inspire other brands to do the same.

He also hopes the FDA will “finally take action and partner with all of us on this important issue.”

The company is focusing on the product launch at Whole Foods, which is helping “educate their shoppers about heavy metal safety and Regenerative Organic Certification and all of its benefits.”

“We plan to continue expanding the brand offerings in the near future with transparency at the core of everything we do,” he concludes.