Texas sues Nestlé's Gerber over excessive heavy metals in baby food

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lodged a complaint in Collin County district court accusing Nestlé and its US subsidiary Gerber of selling infant foods with dangerous concentrations of heavy metals. The filing alleges that from 2017 through 2019 Gerber’s rice-based cereals, carrot, and sweet-potato products contained cadmium, arsenic and lead at levels 17-, nine-, and ten-fold above the legal thresholds, respectively.

Prosecutors note that Gerber infrequently tested for mercury and prioritized ingredient analysis over finished-product testing, which they say masked the true metal burden. A state laboratory in 2021 identified two Gerber rice samples with excessive arsenic and alerted the FDA, but the company never recalled the items. The lawsuit demands that Nestlé be compelled to test all finished products, make the findings publicly available, and surrender profits derived from the allegedly illegal sales. Nestlé has not yet responded to the allegations.