Plum Organics becomes the first baby-food manufacturer to agree to stricter heavy metal limits following a Texas Attorney General investigation, setting a new standard for safety and transparency in infant nutrition.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has said Plum Organics has become the first baby-food maker to agree to tougher limits on toxic heavy metals after his office opened an investigation into the sector. According to the Texas Attorney General’s office, the settlement applies to products sold in Texas and is meant to give parents greater confidence that items on shelves do not contain unsafe levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium or mercury.
The agreement requires Plum Organics to align its testing and shipping rules with a mix of federal and overseas standards. The company said it will follow Food and Drug Administration guidance on lead, adopt European Union guidance for cadmium and inorganic arsenic, and keep its own limit of 10 parts per billion for mercury in baby-food pouches. Products that fall short of those thresholds will not be shipped, and the company will continue publishing test results online for items marketed and sold in Texas, according to the attorney general’s office.
Paxton launched the investigation in August 2025, issuing Civil Investigative Demands to Plum Organics and other large baby-food manufacturers, including Gerber. The move came after mounting scrutiny of heavy metals in infant food, an issue that has drawn concern from consumer advocates and lawmakers for years. Consumer Reports has previously highlighted a 2020 congressional investigation that found worrying levels of these substances in a range of baby foods, including some Plum Organics products.
Heavy metals can occur naturally in soil and water, but public health experts warn that higher concentrations may pose particular risks for babies and young children, especially to brain and neurological development. California has already taken a more aggressive regulatory approach, requiring companies to test finished baby-food products regularly and make results public. That transparency model appears to be part of the framework Plum will now continue to use in Texas.
Paxton has said the inquiry is not over and that his office will keep pressing other manufacturers to adopt similar standards. In his statement, he urged companies to stop misleading parents about the safety of the food they buy for their children, while praising Plum for agreeing to tighten its testing and disclosure practices.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
