Krishnamoorthi Reintroduces Baby Food Safety Act to Set Enforceable Limits on Toxic Metals in Infant and Toddler Food

WASHINGTON - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), a senior member of the House Oversight Committee, today reintroduced the Baby Food Safety Act of 2026, legislation to establish enforceable limits on toxic heavy metals in infant and toddler food and strengthen testing and transparency requirements for manufacturers. The legislation is co-sponsored by Representatives Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Emilia Sykes (D-OH), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), and Ted Lieu (D-CA), as well as Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

"For years, parents have been forced to navigate a marketplace where too many baby foods contain dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals, and the federal government has not acted quickly or effectively to fix it," said Congressman Krishnamoorthi. "Our legislation sets clear, enforceable limits, puts real deadlines on the FDA, and requires rigorous testing and transparency from manufacturers. Parents must be able to trust that the food they're feeding their children is safe."

The legislation builds on Congressman Krishnamoorthi's groundbreaking congressional investigation that uncovered dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals in leading baby food products and helped spur federal action on the issue.

The Baby Food Safety Act would require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set limits on dangerous contaminants-including lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic-in baby food, while mandating regular testing, recordkeeping, and accountability across the industry. The legislation improves the FDA's "Closer to Zero" initiative by establishing enforceable timelines and a structured process to drive continuous reductions in toxic exposure. It also complements state-level laws that require testing and public disclosure of contaminant levels.

Stakeholder Support

"Unleaded Kids strongly supports the Baby Food Safety Act provides a framework for FDA to fulfill its long overdue promise in its Closer to Zero. It establishes a process and deadlines that will drive continuous improvement. It also complements the state laws that require baby food companies to test each lot of each of their products and make the results publicly available. We applaud Congressman Krishnamoorthi for his continued leadership on this important children's health issue." - Tom Neltner, National Director of Unleaded Kids

"We know that food companies can reduce toxic metals because they've done so before - when FDA has set tough standards. Today, 10,000 babies will start eating solid food, so we have no more time to waste if we want to protect our babies' brains. Thank goodness Congressman Krishnamoorthi's leadership. Without laws, we can't count on the FDA to act." - Scott Faber, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Environmental Working Group.

"The need to establish public health limits on toxic elements in baby food is long overdue," said Brian Ronholm, Director of Food Policy at Consumer Reports. "Parents and caregivers need assurances that the food they feed their babies won't increase health risks. Consumer Reports commends Rep. Krishnamoorthi for his continued work on this issue."

The bill is also endorsed by the Environmental Defense Fund.

Baby Food Safety ActSummary

The Baby Food Safety Act of 2026 would:

• Establish enforceable limits on toxic heavy metals-including lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury-in infant and toddler food.

• Require the FDA to set these limits within specific, time-bound deadlines and update them regularly based on the latest science.

• Mandate routine sampling and testing of baby food products by manufacturers, including finished products.

• Require manufacturers to maintain records and make testing data available to regulators to ensure compliance.

• Strengthen FDA enforcement authority and oversight of both domestic and imported baby food products.

• Support ongoing review and improvement of standards to further reduce toxic exposure over time.

The text of the legislation is available here.