HappyBaby Baby Food Lawsuit

Our toxic baby food lawyers seek new cases from children (and their parents) who consumed HappyBaby baby foods and were subsequently diagnosed with autism. Every day, parents reach out to our lawyers looking to see if there is a connection between the baby food their child at and a later autism diagnosis.

What is the backstory behind the Happy Baby autism lawsuits? HappyBaby is a popular baby food brand made by Nurture Inc. and sold at Walmart stores across the U.S. Nurture is a company that owns Happy Family Brands and sells baby food under the brand name HappyBABY. The comClassics Turkey and Turkey BrothNurture Inc. was founded in 2006 by Shazi Visram, and it started selling its HappyBABY line of organic baby food in 2009. In 2013, Nurture Inc. acquired Plum Organics, a California-based organic baby food company, to expand its product offerings. In 2019, Nurture Inc. was acquired by Danone S.A., a French multinational food-products corporation.

Its products include:

Classics Turkey and Turkey Broth
Apples, Sweet Potatoes & Granola Clearly Crafted Organic Baby
Breakfast on the go Yogurt, Banana and Mixed Berry Blend
Oats & Quinoa Baby Cereal Organic Whole Grains with Iron –Sitting Baby
Oatmeal Baby Cereal, clearly crafted –Organic Whole Grains for Sitting Baby
Clearly Crafted Prunes Organic Baby Food
Superfood Puffs –Apple & Broccoli Organic Grain Snack
Superfood Puffs Organic Grain Snack –Sweet Potato & Carrot
Sweet Potatoes –Stage 1
Organic Pears –Stage 1
Organic Teethers Blueberry & Purple Carrot –Sitting
Simple Combos Apples, Spinach & Kale

Last year, an investigation found that many popular baby foods, including these HappyBaby brand products, contain unsafe levels of toxic heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium.

When infants and young children are exposed to these metals they can cause severe neurologic disorders, including autism which is the focus of these lawsuits. But there has been no HappyBaby recall or warning has been placed on the product advising parents of the risks of toxic metals.

RELATED AUTISM POSTS

HappyBaby Brand Baby Food Found to Contain High Levels of Toxic Metals

Heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium damage the human body. Significant exposure to these metals has been shown to cause neurological problems in children’s developing brains.

On February 4, 2021, a report was published by the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy entitled Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury (the “Congressional Report”). The report found that many popular baby food brands in the US had toxic levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury in their products. The report called the levels “dangerous” and “toxic” and found that these metals pose a serious health risk to infants and young children.

The report also cited internal company documents from the baby food manufacturers, including HappyBABY, that showed the companies were aware of the presence of heavy metals in their products but failed to take adequate measures to prevent their inclusion in the baby food. The report concluded that the FDA needs to set stricter standards for heavy metal levels in baby food and that baby food manufacturers need to do more to ensure the safety and purity of their products.

According to the House Subcommittee’s report on baby food in 2021, HappyBaby (owned by Nurture, Inc.) had some of the highest levels of arsenic, cadmium, and lead in their baby food products compared to other brands tested. Specifically, the report found that HappyBaby’s products had levels of inorganic arsenic up to 129 ppb, cadmium up to 38.1 ppb, and lead up to 344.4 ppb. These levels blow past recommended limits set by various health organizations, including the World Health Organization and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The FDA allows 10 ppb inorganic arsenic, 5 ppb lead, and 5 ppb cadmium in bottled water, while the EPA caps the allowable level of mercury in drinking water at 2 ppb.

HappyBaby Maker Has Known of the Problem with Toxic Metals

Depressingly, the report cited internal documents from the makers of HappyBaby and other companies that showed they were aware of the presence of these toxic metals in their products but failed to address the issue.

The documents also showed that Happy Family Organics was aware of the presence of these heavy metals in its products and had conducted its own testing that confirmed the contamination. However, the company did not disclose this information to the public or government regulators. Instead, Happy Family Organics reportedly continued to market its products as safe and healthy, despite knowing about the potential risks posed by the heavy metal contamination.

So HappyBaby contineud to market these products as healthy and safe for babies despite being aware of the high levels of toxic metals in their products. It made no effort to take sufficient steps to address these issues even after they were made aware of them. This should concern us all.

Heavy Metal Levels in HappyBaby Brand Baby Foods

The Congressional Report found harmful levels of toxic metals in baby food products from seven of the biggest manufacturers in the U.S., including Nuture Inc., which sells baby food products under the popular brands HappyBaby and Happy Family Organics.

Walmart stores across the country carry HappyBaby brand products. The Congressional Report sets out the detailed levels of heavy metals found in the various food brands. Nurture’s HappyBaby brand products had some of the highest levels of dangerous metals in almost every category compared to all other brands.

(a) Arsenic Levels in HappyBaby Baby Food

Inorganic arsenic is considered the worst and most harmful of all the heavy metals the Congressional Report covers. Arsenic exposure in infancy and childhood has been associated with an increased rate of neurologic disorders and can also damage the central nervous system.

Based on standards set by the FDA, the maximum safe level for arsenic in bottled water is ten ppb. The Congressional Report found that Nurture (HappyBaby) sold baby food products after internal tests showed they contained as much as 180 ppb of inorganic arsenic, 18 times the maximum limit. Over 25% of the HappyBaby food products sold by Nurture were found to contain over 100 ppb of inorganic arsenic, and the average level of arsenic in HappBaby products was around 60 ppb — six times the safe limit. Digest that. Six times.

(b) Lead Levels in HappyBaby Baby Food

The second most harmful of the heavy metals that are known to pose a threat to human health is lead. Lead exposure is harmful even at minimal levels and is associated with various adverse health conditions, particularly neurologic and cognitive developmental issues in children.

As set by the FDA, the maximum safe level for lead in drinking water is five ppb. The maximum safe lead level in juice is 20 ppb. The Congressional Report found that Nurture’s HappyBaby brand food products had the highest lead levels compared to other brands. This makes Nuture’s HappyBaby food a target in heavy metal autism lawsuits.

Nurture admitted to selling finished HappyBaby brand products that tested as high as 641 ppb lead — a staggering 128 times higher than the FDA maximum safe limit. Over 20% of all HappyBaby brand products contained ten ppb lead, still, double the maximum limit.

(c) Mercury Levels in HappyBaby Baby Food

Mercury comes in behind only arsenic and lead in terms of the most toxic of the heavy metals at issue in the Congressional Report on baby foods. Current research has established that prenatal mercury exposure can cause adverse neurologic development. Mercury blood levels in toddlers have also been positively associated with increased rates of autism.

The FDA has established a maximum safe mercury level for drinking water at two ppb. This is the lowest maximum safe level of all the heavy metals. Nurture was one of the few companies that tested products for mercury. These tests revealed that HappyBaby brand food products were sold containing as much as ten ppb of mercury, 5 times higher than the maximum safe limit set by the FDA.

(d) Cadmium Levels in HappyBaby Baby Food

Cadmium comes in at 4th on the list of baby foods’ most dangerous toxic metals. Exposure to cadmium at young ages has been linked to lower IQ and the development of various disorders, such as ADD, later in life. According to the FDA, the maximum safe limit for cadmium in drinking water is five ppb. The Congressional Report found that 75% of HappyBaby food products sold by Nurture contained cadmium over the five ppb max safe level.

Heavy Metals in Baby Food May Cause Autism

The health hazards of heavy metals have been understood for a long time. However, our toxic baby food lawyers have seen a growing body of medical evidence suggesting that exposure to these materials can lead to autism, ADD, and other neurologic disorders. When children are exposed to these metals during infancy or gestation, they display higher rates of autism.

The impact of prenatal and early infancy exposures to mercury was the subject of a 2014 study that was one of the first to find a link between mercury and autism. The study found that environmental mercury exposure caused a twofold increase in the risk of being diagnosed with autism or ADD. In Korea, a very similar study was conducted and published in 2017, finding a similar association between exposure to mercury and autism/ADD rates.

In a 2019 meta-analysis study published by a research team at the University of Buffalo, arsenic exposure in infancy was linked to higher autism rates. The following year, a much more comprehensive study found the same positive association between exposure to mercury, arsenic, and cadmium during infancy and higher rates of autism.

Happy baby organic formula recall (unrelated but this organic formula recall has been of great interest)
Judge for yourself HappyBaby’s defense to the claim of excessive metals in their product. It is correct that other foods have low levels of toxic metals. The question is, what levels are acceptable. The company seems to say, “The product is safe but we are going to work to get rid of all these toxic metals.” This seems somewhat contradictory, right?

Nurture HappyBaby Baby Food Autism Lawsuits

Does HappyBaby have toxic metals in their baby food? The Congressional Report revealing the shocking levels of toxic heavy metals in baby foods like Nurture’s HappyBaby brand products has led to many product liability lawsuits against Nurture by parents claiming that their children developed autism (or other disorders). These baby food lawsuits are partly based on the findings in the Congressional Report, which make it very clear that Nurture and the other manufacturers knew that their baby food products contained heavy metals well above the maximum safe limits set by the FDA and decided to sell them anyway.

Since the Congressional Report was published in February 2021, Nurture Inc. has been named a defendant in many consumer class action and product liability lawsuits involving toxic metals in baby food products. Every HappyBaby lawsuit alleges that the toxic metal levels in this product are unsafe for children.

Hiring a Lawyer Without the Risk of Losing Money

Our firm is currently seeking parents considering filing a HappyBaby toxic baby food lawsuit because their child has autism. Call today for a free consultation at 800-553-8082 or get a free, no-obligation case review. We are contingency fee lawyers, so our attorneys only earn a fee if you get settlement compensation or a jury payout.