Microplastics found in all tested baby food purees, prompting renewed safety concerns

Consumer Reports’ latest investigation reveals the ubiquitous presence of microplastic particles in baby food purees, adding to longstanding worries over heavy metals and chemical contaminants, with experts urging caution and more regulation.

Consumer Reports has found microplastic particles in every baby food puree it tested, adding a new layer of concern to a category already scrutinised for heavy metals and plastic-related chemicals. In the latest investigation, one serving contained more than 814,000 particles, according to the consumer group, which also said levels of some other contaminants have eased compared with earlier testing.

The findings build on years of warnings from Consumer Reports about baby food safety. In 2018, the organisation reported troubling levels of lead, cadmium, mercury and inorganic arsenic in a range of baby and toddler foods, and a 2021 congressional report intensified pressure by alleging that several manufacturers had sold products containing toxic heavy metals. By 2023, Consumer Reports said some heavy metal levels had fallen, but that the overall risk to infants remained broadly unchanged.

The 2026 testing covered 48 store-bought products from 11 brands, including cereals, pouches, jars, puffs and bars. Consumer Reports said heavy metals were below its level of concern in 96% of items tested, but a few products, including Gerber Rice Cereal and Target’s Good & Gather Organic Banana Peach Apricot Tub, still exceeded daily concern limits for inorganic arsenic. Phthalates, chemicals used to make plastics more flexible, were detected in 81% of the products, although Consumer Reports said they remained below the regulatory thresholds it used for its formal risk assessment.

The most striking result was the universal presence of microplastics in the purees, with particles turning up in products sold in both plastic and glass packaging, though less often in glass jars. Consumer Reports said the health effects of microplastics are still not fully understood, and experts advise parents to reduce exposure where practical rather than panic. Offering babies a wider variety of foods may help limit repeated contact with contaminants from any single source, even as pressure grows for clearer federal limits and more consistent oversight across the baby food industry.