Heavy Metals in Carrot and Sweet Potato Baby Food: What Parents Should Know

Carrots and sweet potatoes are two of the most popular first foods, and for good reason. They are sweet, smooth, and full of vitamin A and fiber. They also come up again and again in reports about heavy metals in baby food.

Here is why, and why pediatricians still say to keep serving them.

Why root vegetables carry more

Lead and cadmium are naturally present in soil, and in some places soil also holds lead left from old paint, leaded gasoline, or industry. Root vegetables grow in direct contact with that soil, and the part we eat is the part that absorbs water and minerals. So carrots and sweet potatoes tend to take up more lead and cadmium than vegetables that grow above ground.

It shows up in testing. Consumer Reports' 2018 investigation found that sweet potato products were among those most likely to have high heavy metal levels. FDA also treats them differently: its lead action level is 20 parts per billion for single-ingredient carrot or sweet potato baby foods, compared with 10 ppb for most other fruits and vegetables. FDA's lead guidance for baby food.

Levels vary a lot from farm to farm. Healthy Babies Bright Futures found very different results for sweet potatoes and carrots depending on where they were bought.

Should you stop serving them?

No. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends continuing to serve carrots and sweet potatoes, because they provide important nutrients. The goal is balance, not avoidance.

How to balance your baby's plate

• Rotate vegetables. Alternate carrots and sweet potatoes with vegetables that grow above ground, like squash, peas, green beans, and zucchini. Butternut squash was among the lowest-metal foods in HBBF's testing.
• Read pouch labels. Many blends lead with sweet potato or carrot even when the flavor name sounds like something else. Check the first ingredients to make sure you are really offering variety.
• Peel and wash root vegetables when you make purees at home.
• Mix up where you buy. Because levels vary by growing area, changing brands or stores from time to time can help average things out.

More tips from the AAP: Heavy Metals in Baby Food.

Is homemade better for root vegetables?

Not necessarily. A carrot from the grocery store absorbs metals from the soil just like one headed for a baby-food factory. HBBF's 2022 testing found heavy metals as often in homemade purees as in store-bought baby food. Homemade vs packaged.

Checking a specific product

If you buy packaged carrot or sweet potato baby food, look for a QR code on the label. California requires baby-food makers selling in the state to post results for arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Some products also carry the Heavy Metal Certified mark, which means that product was tested through an independent laboratory and met a published standard for eight metals, with retesting every year. The mark does not mean the food is free of metals. What the mark means.

FAQ

Why do sweet potatoes have lead? Lead is present in soil, from natural sources and past pollution. Sweet potatoes grow underground and absorb some of it.

Should I stop giving my baby carrots and sweet potatoes? No. Pediatricians recommend continuing to serve them as part of a varied diet.

Are organic carrots lower in heavy metals? Not reliably. Organic rules cover pesticides and farming practices, not heavy metals in soil.

Which vegetables are lower in heavy metals? Vegetables that grow above ground, like squash, peas, and green beans, tend to be lower. Variety is the main goal.

Learn more

• Heavy metals in baby food pouches
• FDA's Closer to Zero plan explained
• What Heavy Metal Tested certification is

Make vegetable baby food? Book a 30-minute call about certification.