Heavy Metals in Baby Formula

On March 18, 2025 Consumer Reports published an article detailing the results of tests they performed on 41 different brands of baby formula to detect arsenic, lead, BPA, acrylamide, and PFAS. The article does a good job of describing how these compounds can get into formulas and how some level of contamination with most of these compounds is almost impossible to avoid. Given that some of the formulas had elevated levels of these compounds there has been quite a bit of concern and angst among parents who feed their children formula, so much so that the FDA announced that it is "taking steps to enhance its efforts to ensure the ongoing quality, safety, nutritional adequacy, and resilience of the domestic infant formula supply." While this report is concerning and its findings are worthy of additional scrutiny, it is also important to keep a few things in mind.

• Heavy metals are naturally occurring in the soil, air and water. As a result it is normal and expected to find trace amounts of them in formula. The challenge is knowing how much is safe and at what level are they toxic. Given that our infants are most vulnerable and susceptible to toxins we should expect that infant formulas should be as free of these compounds as possible, but we also need to understand that expecting 0 parts per billion is unrealistic.
• This concern regarding heavy metals is not new and has previously been raised regarding infant cereal and food. Modern technology allows us to identify the presence of these compounds on a scale of parts per billion. 1 part per billion is the equivalent of 1 drop of water in an Olympic sized swimming pool. The relevance of these minuscule amounts of these compounds in food and formula is unknown.
• The FDA has a goal of getting the amount of heavy metals in foods Closer to Zero, but it does not test formulas and relies on formula manufacturers to test themselves.
• Consumer Reports tested 2-3 samples from 1-3 lots of each formula. To get a true understanding of the extent of this problem multiple formula lots would need to be tested from different regions of the country at different times. The findings shared by Consumer Reports show us that this is an issue that needs more investigation, but a limited number of data points does not confirm which formula is "good" and which is "bad"

With all of that information to consider we recommend that you should be vigilant, but not afraid. These compounds have always been in our food and in our formula but we are only now being made aware of it. We should be vigilant in holding formula manufacturers and the FDA accountable to ensuring our children get the safest formula possible, but we also need not be afraid as our formula is incredibly safe. Nevertheless, the Consumer Reports article shows us that some formulas have higher amounts of heavy metal compounds and PFAS than others. While the Consumer Reports data is limited, it is all that we have for now and it is reasonable to prioritize a formula from the "Top Choices" and "Good Choices" list. This article does not prove that the formulas in the "Worse Choices" list are harmful to your baby, but, until more data is published, it would be reasonable to choose an equivalent formula from the other lists. If your baby is on a specialized formula that does not have an option in the Top or Good Choices list, we recommend you discuss your options with your baby's doctor.