An oversight subcommittee established by the U.S. House of Representatives has found "dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals" in several baby food brands, which it said could cause serious neurological damage.
The committee, which released its report Thursday, said that it is calling on regulators to immediately act to address the issue.
In its report, the committee named several baby food brands - including those manufactured by Nurture Beech-Nut Nutrition, Hain Celestial Group, and Nestle subsidiary Gerber.
The committee said that some of the retailers and companies that had been carrying the brands had refused to cooperate with its investigation, which it said raises some concerns. The oversight committee named Sprout Organic Foods, Campbell Soup, and Walmart as some of the companies that had refused to cooperate.
The report alleges that the manufacturing standards of the companies involved had knowingly allowed dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals to be present in their products. The committee said that it had documents and evidence to prove that some companies were aware that some of the products they had sold exceeded their own toxicity standards.
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, the chair of the oversight committee, said that regulators should act immediately to impose new standards, including the mandatory testing of finished products for heavy metals.
"These manufacturers knowingly sell baby food containing high levels of toxic heavy metals ... It's time that we develop much better standards for the sake of future generations," Krishnamoorthi said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that it is currently reviewing the report, including all of its toxicity test findings.
"We acknowledge that there is more work to be done, but the FDA reiterates its strong commitment to continue to reduce consumer exposure to toxic elements and other contaminants from food," the FDA said Thursday.
The report was critical of the FDA and its alleged lack of action despite being aware of the toxicity levels of several baby food products. The report alleged that the FDA was aware that some companies only tested their ingredients and not their final products.
