Loaded with Lead: List of Kid’s Fruit Juices and Foods to Avoid

Lead Found in Kid’s Fruit Juices and Foods -

The Environmental Law Foundation (“ELF”) filed Notices of Violation of California Proposition 65 Toxics Right to Know law, alleging the toxic chemical lead was found in a variety of children’s and baby foods. The specific food categories included apple juice, grape juice, packaged pears and peaches (including baby food), and fruit cocktail.

Scientists agree that there is no safe level of exposure to lead. According to Dr. Callahan, “Lead exposure among children is a particular concern because their developing bodies absorb lead at a higher rate and because children are particularly sensitive to lead’s toxic effects, including decreased I.Q.”

Lead has been and continues to be released into the environment from decades of lead-based pesticide application, use of leaded gasoline and lead paint, and burning of coal in power plants. The lead in the environment then can make its way into the food supply. But not every category or even foods within categories contains lead.

I only buy organic foods, do I need to worry about this?

Unfortunately, yes. ELF found lead at levels that violate Proposition 65 (i.e., above the maximum allowable dose level of 0.5 ug/day) for a single serving in some organic products. While an “organic” label conveys a great deal of confidence about certain growing, harvesting and packaging practices, it is not a “lead-free” guarantee.

Here is a comprehensive list of children’s and baby foods with and without lead:

Apple Juice with Lead – For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Beech Nut 100% Apple Juice
2. Earth’s Best Organics Apple Juice
3. First Street 100% Apple Cider from concentrate
4. First Street Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice
5. Full Circle Organic Apple Juice
6. Gerber 100% Juice Apple Juice
7. Great Value 100% No Sugar Added Apple Juice
8. Hansen’s Natural Apple Juice
9. Kroger 100% Juice Apple Juice
10. Langers Apple Juice 100% Juice
11. Minute Maid Juice Apple – 100% Apple Juice
12. Motts 100% Apple Juice
13. Organics Organic Unfiltered Apple Juice Not From Concentrate
14. Old Orchard 100% Apple Juice
15. Parade 100% Juice Apple
16. Raley’s Premium 100% Apple Juice not from Concentrate
17. Safeway 100% Juice Apple Cider
18. Safeway 100% Juice Apple Juice
19. Stater Bros. 100% Juice Apple Juice
20. Sunny Select 100% Apple Juice
21. Trader Joe’s Certified Organic Apple Juice, pasteurized
22. Tree Top 100% Juice Apple Cider
23. Walgreens Apple Juice from concentrate 100% juice
24. Walnut Grove Market 100% Apple Juice

Apple Juice without Lead – For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Great Value 100% Apple Juice not from concentrate
2. Harvest Day 100% Apple Juice from Concentrate
3. Kirkland Fresh Pressed Apple Juice Pasteurized
4. Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice 100% pure from US grown fresh apples
5. R.W. Knudsen Organic Apple Juice unfiltered
6. Raley’s Everyday 100% Apple Juice
7. Sunny Select 100% Unfiltered Apple Juice
8. Trader Joe’s Fresh Pressed Apple Juice all natural pasteurized, 100% juice
9. Tree Top 100% Apple Juice
10. Tree Top Three Apple Blend 100% Fresh Pressed Juice

Grape Juice with Lead – For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. 365 Everyday Value Organic 100% Juice Concord Grapes
2. First Street Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice
3. Gerber 100% Juice – White Grape Juice
4. Great Value 100% Grape Juice
5. Kedem Concord Grape Juice 100% pure grape juice
6. Kroger Grape Juice 100% Juice
7. Langers Grape Juice (Concord)
8. Langers Red Grape Juice
9. Organics Organic Grape Juice from concentrate
10. R.W. Knudsen Just Concord Grape Juice
11. R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Concord
12. Raley’s 100% Grape Juice
13. Safeway 100% Juice Grape Juice
14. Safeway Organic Grape Juice
15. Santa Cruz Organic Concord Grape Juice
16. Stater Bros. 100% Juice Grape Juice
17. Stater Bros. 100% Juice White Grape Juice
18. Sunny Select 100% Grape Juice
19. Trader Joe’s Concord Grape Juice made from fresh pressed organic concord grapes
20. Tree Top 100% Juice, Grape
21. Valu Time Grape Drink from Concentrate
22. Walgreens Grape Juice from concentrate 100% juice
23. Walnut Acres Organic Concord Grape
24. Walnut Grove Market Grape Juice
25. Welch’s 100% Grape Juice (from Welch’s Concord Grapes)
26. Welch’s 100% Red Grape Juice from Concentrate

Grape Juice without Lead- For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Old Orchard Healthy Balance Grape

Packaged Pears with Lead – For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Best Yet Bartlett Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup
2. Del Monte Diced Pears in Light Syrup
3. Del Monte Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup
4. Del Monte Pear Halves, Bartlett Pears in 100% real fruit juice from concentrate
5. Dole Pear Halves in Juice
6. First Street Diced Pears
7. First Street Sliced Bartlett
8. Full Circle Organic Bartlett Pear Slices
9. Gerber 3rd Foods Pears [Baby Food]
10. Great Value Bartlett Pear Halves in 100% Juice
11. Great Value Bartlett Sliced Pears in Heavy Syrup
12. Market Pantry Diced Pears in Light syrup
13. Maxx Value Pear Pieces in Light Syrup
14. Polar Pear Halves in light syrup
15. S&W Natural Style Pear Slices in Juice
16. S&W Sun Pears Premium
17. Safeway Lite Bartlett Pear Halves in Pear Juice
18. Safeway Pear Halves in Light Juice
19. Sunny Select Pear Halves in Pear Juice
20. Trader Joe’s Pear Halves in white grape juice
21. Truitt Brothers Pacific North West Bartlett Pear Halves, in pear juice from concentrate
22. Valu Time Irregular Bartlett Pear Slices
23. Walnut Grove Market Natural Pear Halves in Heavy Syrup

Packaged Pears without Lead – For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Eating Right Kids Diced Pears Fruit Cups
2. Stater Bros. Diced Pears Snack Bowl

Packaged Peaches with Lead – For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Best Yet Yellow Cling Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup
2. Del Monte Freestone Peach Slices in 100 % Juice
3. Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in 100 % Juice
4. Del Monte Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup
5. Dole Diced Peaches, Yellow Cling in light syrup
6. First Street Yellow Cling Peaches in heavy syrup
7. Gerber 3rd Foods Peaches [Baby Food]
8. Golden Star Peach Halves in Heavy Syrup
9. Great Value Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches
10. Libby’s Yellow Cling Peach Slices No Sugar Added (Sweetened with Splenda)
11. Market Pantry Diced Peaches in light syrup
12. Polar Peach Slices
13. Raley’s Sliced Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup
14. S&W Natural Style Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Lightly Sweetened Juice
15. S&W Premium Peach Halves Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup
16. Safeway Diced Peaches in Light Syrup
17. Safeway Yellow Cling Peach Slices in Pear Juice
18. Simple Value Yellow Cling Peaches in light syrup
19. Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Peach Halves
20. Stater Bros. Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in heavy syrup
21. Sunny Select Yellow Cling Sliced Peaches in Pear Juice
22. Trader Joe’s Yellow Cling Peach Halves in while grape juice
23. Valu Time Yellow Cling Peach Slices
24. Walnut Grove Market Natural Peaches Sliced Yellow Cling in Light Syrup

Packaged Peaches without Lead – For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Dole Diced Peaches, Cling in Light Syrup
2. Dole Diced Peaches, Freestone in Light Syrup
3. Dole Sliced Peaches
4. Eating Right Kids Diced Peaches in Extra Light Syrup
5. Stater Bros. Diced Peaches Snack Bowl

Fruit Cocktail with Lead – For the following products, one or more samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Best Yet Chunky Mixed Fruit in Pear Juice
2. Chef’s Review Fruit Cocktail
3. Del Monte 100% Juice Fruit Cocktail
4. Del Monte Chunky Mixed Fruit in 100 % Juice (peach, pear, grape, etc.)
5. Del Monte Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peach, pear, grapes)
6. Del Monte Fruit Cocktail No Sugar Added
7. Del Monte Lite Fruit Cocktail in Extra Light Syrup
8. Dole Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup
9. Eating Right Fruit Cocktail packed in Sucralose
10. Eating Right No Sugar Fruit Cocktail
11. First Street Fruit Cocktail in heavy syrup
12. Golden Star Mixed Fruit in Light Syrup (peach, pineapple, pears)
13. Great Value No Sugar Added Fruit Cocktail
14. Kroger Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
15. Kroger Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice
16. Kroger Value Fruit Mix (Peaches, pears, grapes)
17. Market Pantry Mixed Fruit in light syrup
18. Maxx Value Fruit Mix in Light Syrup (peach, pear, grape)
19. Mrs. Brown’s Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup (peaches, pears, grapes)
20. Polar Mixed Fruit
21. Raley’s Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
22. S&W Natural Style Fruit Cocktail in Lightly Sweetened Juice
23. Safeway Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
24. Safeway Light Sugar Fruit Cocktail
25. Safeway Lite Fruit Cocktail in Pear Juice
26. Stater Bros. Fruit Cocktail in Heavy Syrup
27. Sunny Select Fruit Cocktail in Juice

Fruit Cocktail without Lead – For the following products, NO samples exceeded the Prop 65 limit of 0.5 micrograms of lead per serving:

1. Del Monte Mixed Fruit

What we must not forget is the following:

1. There is no safe level of lead, especially for children.
2. Lead causes problems throughout the body, especially for children.
3. The effects can be subtle but permanent, long after childhood.
4. Lead exposures and effects are cumulative, over time and from multiple sources
   
5. Three sources of lead continue to contaminate the environment and food supply: decades of pesticide application, leaded gasoline, and airborne lead from coal-fired power plants

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