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Parent’s Choice (Walmart Brand) Recall for Baby Food Products Due to High Arsenic Levels
Three lots of Parent’s Choice baby food sold at Walmart have been recalled over high levels of arsenic, a toxic heavy metal linked to neurological damage in children. Maple Island, Inc. initiated the voluntary recall for three Parent’s Choice baby food products sold at Walmart. In a subsequent announcement, Walmart said it had pulled the affected products off of store shelves and placed a register block to stop any purchases.
The affected products showed increased levels of inorganic arsenic during routine testing, per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recall announcement. According to numerous studies, exposure to high levels of arsenic can increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.
Government health agencies agree that high levels of toxic metals are a threat to human health.
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR): Arsenic is number one among environmental substances that pose the most significant potential threat to human health, followed by lead (second), mercury (third), and cadmium (seventh).
- World Health Organization (WHO): Toxic heavy metals like arsenic pose a “major public health concern” for children.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Toxic metals “may build up in biological systems and become a significant health hazard.”
Parent’s Choice (Walmart) Baby Food Recall Products
Parent’s Choice Rice Baby Cereal 8 oz lots subject to the recall were sold after April 5, 2021. The products include:
Lot 21083 | UPC Code #00681131082907 | Best if Used by Date: JUN 24 2022
Lot 21084 | UPC Code #00681131082907 | Best if Used by Date: JUN 25 2022
Lot 21242 | UPC Code #00681131082907 | Best if Used by Date: NOV 30 2022
The Best if Used by dates and product numbers can be found on the bottom left corner on the back of the Parent’s Choice Rice Baby Cereal packaging. For those who purchased the Parent’s Choice Rice Baby Cereal 8 oz lots subject to the recall, you may seek a refund by returning the product to Walmart. Customers may also contact Maple Island by calling 800-369-1022 or emailing the company at info@maple-island.com for more information.
Walmart Recall is the Second Major Baby Food Recall Issued This Year Over Toxic Metals
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Parents around the country were shocked this year to learn that baby foods from Walmart (Parent’s Choice) and several other industry-leading brands contain dangerous levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
The U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Committee on Oversight and Reform published two reports on toxic metals in baby foods.
The key findings in the first baby foods report issued in February: several major manufacturers knowingly sell baby foods containing as much as 180 parts per billion (ppb) inorganic arsenic, 6441 ppb lead, 10 ppb mercury, and manufacture their products using ingredients containing as much as 913.4 ppb arsenic, 886.9 ppb lead, and 344.55 ppb cadmium, far eclipsing domestic and international regulatory standards.
The government report found 177 times more than the acceptable level of lead in baby foods.
The FDA allows a maximum level of 5 parts per billion (ppb) lead in bottled water.
The government report found 91 times more than the acceptable level of arsenic in baby foods.
The FDA allows a maximum level of 10 ppb arsenic in bottled water.
The government report found 69 times more than the acceptable level of cadmium in baby foods.
The FDA allows a maximum level of 5 ppb cadmium in bottled water.
The government report found 5 times more than the acceptable level of mercury in baby foods.
The EPA allows a maximum of 2 ppb mercury in drinking water.
The Subcommittee noted in its first report that Walmart and two other companies failed to comply with requests for documents and information on heavy metals in its baby foods. The report expressed concern about whether Walmart “might be obscuring the presence of even higher levels of toxic heavy metals in their baby food products than their competitors’ products.”
The second baby food report issued in September showed that the industry has done very little to improve the safety of its products. According to the Subcommittee, Walmart provided documentation that revealed a “concerning lack of attention to toxic heavy metal levels in baby food and an abandonment of its previously more protective standards.”
Between 2012 and 2018, Walmart established standards for heavy metals in baby food products, setting an internal maximum of 23 ppb for arsenic in finished baby foods. But in 2018, Walmart decided to alter its policy and allow 100 ppb inorganic arsenic in its baby foods. The company offered no justification for quadrupling its internal standard for inorganic arsenic in baby food products.
“As concerning as this latest recall is, it is far from surprising,” says consumer attorney Pedram Esfandiary. Mr. Esfandiary represents parents with pending cases against Walmart and other baby food manufacturers alleging the toxic heavy metals in baby food products caused children to develop autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“These companies continue to knowingly sell foods that cause devastating harm to children. There are hundreds of baby food products containing alarming amounts of heavy metals that are still on the market, with the companies, including Walmart, still reaping millions of dollars. They make all these excuses that they can’t control the issue, that these metals can’t be removed from the foods they sell. It’s utter nonsense. They know it’s nonsense, but they don’t care as long as they are profiting.”
Baby Food Lawyers Representing Parents Throughout the Nation in Lawsuits Against Walmart and Other Manufacturers
Baby food attorneys from the national law firm of Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman represents hundreds of parents throughout the country with children who developed autism (ASD) and/or ADHD after consuming significant amounts of baby food products from:
- Beech-Nut
- Hain Celestial Group – Earth’s Best Organic
- Campbell Soup – Plum Organics
- Walmart – Parent’s Choice
- Nurture – Happy Family Organics and HappyBABY
- Sprout Foods – Sprout Organic Food
- Gerber
If you would like to speak with our legal team to see if you qualify for a toxic baby food lawsuit, please contact us or call (855) 948-5098 for a free and confidential case evaluation. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about pursuing a case.