Heavy Metals Found in 65% of Baby Foods Worldwide, Rice and Soy the Worst

Lead, cadmium, and arsenic contaminate the majority of baby foods and infant formulas sold worldwide. That is the central finding of a review of 75 studies published in February 2026 in the journal Nutrition Reviews. More than 6 in 10 baby food products and infant formulas tested positive for at least one toxic heavy metal. The foods parents reach for most often, rice cereal and soy-based formula, ranked among the most contaminated.

A Global Problem, Not a Local One

The scoping review, led by Sonia Collado-Lopez and a team of researchers from Mexico's National Institute of Public Health and the University of Guadalajara, analyzed data from 75 peer-reviewed studies spanning multiple continents. The team pulled from four major scientific databases (ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) and examined 580 distinct baby food products and 251 infant formulas.

The numbers were consistent across regions. Lead was detected in 69% of baby foods and 74% of infant formulas. Cadmium appeared in 72% of baby foods and 61% of formulas. Arsenic showed up in 73% of baby foods and 63% of formulas. Mercury, while less common, was still present in 34% of baby foods and 42% of infant formulas. Across the entire dataset, researchers recorded 1,766 individual heavy metal measurements in baby food studies alone.

These are not trace-level findings in obscure products. These are detection rates across the mainstream food supply that infants depend on during the most vulnerable period of their brain and body development.

Rice and Fish: The Highest Lead Loads

Rice-based baby products stood out as particularly problematic. Over 20% of rice and rice-mix baby foods exceeded maximum safety limits for lead, according to the review published in Nutrition Reviews. Rice plants absorb arsenic from flooded paddy water at higher rates than almost any other grain crop. That biological reality translates directly into higher arsenic concentrations in rice-based baby cereals, which remain the most common first solid food for infants in many cultures worldwide.

Fish-based baby food preparations fared even worse on arsenic specifically. The researchers found that 89% of mixed fish products exceeded arsenic maximum levels. Lead and arsenic were detected in every fish and fish-mix item analyzed, with 33% of those samples exceeding maximum lead levels. As reported by the researchers, "fish and fish mixes, as well as rice and rice mixes, had the highest median lead concentrations."

Cereals as a broader category carried the highest median cadmium concentration, with 17% of cereal-based baby foods exceeding cadmium limits.

Soy Formula: Alarming Detection Rates

Soy-based infant formulas showed some of the most concerning results in the entire review. According to analysis reported by News-Medical.net, 84% of soy-based formulas contained detectable lead and 91% contained cadmium. Those rates are substantially higher than the already troubling averages across all formula types.

The numbers got worse when researchers broke the data down by formula stage. Stage 1 and 2 combined formulas showed lead in 89% of samples tested. Stage 2 formulas, designed for older infants typically between 6 and 12 months, had 72% of samples exceeding lead limits. These are the formulas parents use daily, often as a primary or sole source of nutrition.

Specialty formulas fared no better. Among specialty products, 81% contained cadmium and 79% contained arsenic.

Root Vegetables Join the List

The review also flagged root vegetables and tubers as a high-contamination category. Lead and cadmium were detected in 97% of root and tuber baby food samples, according to News-Medical.net's coverage of the study. Root vegetables grow in direct contact with soil, where heavy metals accumulate from industrial pollution, agricultural runoff, and naturally occurring mineral deposits. Sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets, all popular baby food ingredients, fall into this category.

The Regulatory Gap

One of the review's most pointed conclusions targets the patchwork of regulations governing heavy metals in baby food. Maximum allowable levels vary from country to country, and many nations have no enforceable limits at all. In the United States, the FDA has set nonbinding action levels for some contaminants: 10 parts per billion (ppb) of inorganic arsenic for most baby foods, and 20 ppb for root vegetables and dry cereals. But these are guidance thresholds, not legal requirements. Manufacturers face no penalty for exceeding them.

The research team called for "stronger regulatory frameworks and internationally standardized maximum level protocols." Without binding, consistent standards across the global food supply chain, contaminated products continue to reach store shelves in every country.

Of the 41 studies in the review that assessed health risks directly, 15 identified consumption-related concerns tied to the heavy metal levels they measured. The review flagged infants aged 6 to 12 months who consume rice-based products and those under 12 months on stage 1 and 2 formulas as the groups facing the greatest health risk.

What Parents Can Do

The scale of this problem is enormous. But parents are not powerless. There are concrete steps to reduce exposure.

Diversify grains. Rice cereal does not need to be a baby's first food. Oat-based and barley-based cereals tend to carry lower arsenic loads. Rotating between different grains limits cumulative exposure to any single contaminant.

Limit fish-based baby foods. For infants, choose fish species known for lower mercury and arsenic levels. Salmon and cod typically test better than mixed-fish preparations.

Read labels on formulas. If a soy-based formula is not medically necessary (for example, for a diagnosed milk protein allergy), consider alternatives. Discuss options with your pediatrician.

Vary vegetables. Root vegetables are nutritious, but balancing them with above-ground vegetables like peas, green beans, and squash can reduce heavy metal intake.

Check for independent testing. Apps like VeriFoods allow parents to scan product barcodes and see whether items have been independently tested for contaminants including heavy metals, giving product-level transparency that current regulations do not provide.

Most parents assume baby food is the most tightly regulated food category on the shelf. This review of 75 studies and 831 products, spanning every inhabited continent, says otherwise. The gap between that assumption and reality is where the risk lives.

Sources

1. Collado-Lopez S, Rodriguez Hernandez MF, Mariscal-Moreno RM, Tellez-Rojo MM, Betanzos-Robledo L, Reyes Luna M, Cantoral-Preciado A. "Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Processed Baby Foods and Infant Formulas Worldwide: A Scoping Review." Nutrition Reviews, Volume 84, Issue 2, February 2026, pp. 448-461. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40972552/

2. Lomte TS. "New review reveals which baby foods carry the highest heavy metal risks." News-Medical.net, November 17, 2025. Reviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251117/New-review-reveals-which-baby-foods-carry-the-highest-heavy-metal-risks.aspx

3. Collado-Lopez S, et al. "Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Processed Baby Foods and Infant Formulas Worldwide: A Scoping Review." Nutrition Reviews, Oxford Academic, February 2026. DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaf138. https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nutrit/nuaf138/8256392