DALLAS — Tequila Robertson is one of many parents ditching the baby food aisle over concerns of heavy metals found in several products.
"It all started with my own reproductive health journey," said Robertson. "I did a lot of research and discovered how many chemicals are in our food. That is why I started to make baby food for my children."
In 2021, the US House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a report with information from four baby food companies Nurture, Beech-Nut, Hain, and Gerber. It states commercial baby foods are tainted with dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.
Following the report, the Food and Drug Administration launched a "Closer to Zero" initiative. It's a push to reduce contaminants like heavy metals in baby food, which can have long term neurological effects on children.
"Store bought food is not inferior to homemade baby food," said Kary Rappaport, an infant feeding and swallowing specialist from Solid Starts.
Rappaport told WFAA there is no big difference between store-bought and homemade food when it comes to heavy metals, but you can lower your child's likelihood of ingesting them.
"Foods, in general, are grown in soil and can pick up those metals, which means pretty much all foods have that potential," Rappaport said. "When we strain food and reduce food into a puree form, that can condense those heavy metals, which can be more problematic."
Solid Starts is an online company that offers guides and courses for starting solids safely, including 25 foods to never feed babies.
On social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, you can find a wealth of meal ideas from pediatric dietitians like Kathy O'Bryan. O'Bryan teaches parents how to make a wide variety of healthy meals.
"My favorite approach – and the approach that I took with my own son – is modifying the meals that you're making to be appropriate for your baby," said O'Bryan. "I am teaching parents how to feed those nutrient based meals to yourself and baby."
O'Bryan, also known online as "@theminimedietitian," is an advocate of baby-led weaning, an approach to introduce solid foods to babies. Instead of spoon-feeding baby purees, you skip straight to finger foods and let your baby feed them self. She ultimately wants parents to choose what's best and convenient for your family. She said there is no need to ditch the baby food aisle.
"Baby food in the last few years has just skyrocketed in terms of marketing and it's easy for parents who are busy." said O'Bryan. "There doesn't have to a difference between baby food, kid food and adult food."
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