Lead Safe Mama, LLC tested baby foods: A Clean Label Project Purity Award recipient tested positive for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, & Arsenic

ByTamara Posted: Updated:
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For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:

Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).

  • Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
  • Since 2009, Tamara has been conducting XRF testing (a scientific testing method) using the exact instrumentation employed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to test consumer goods for toxicants (specifically heavy metals — including Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, Antimony, and Arsenic).
  • Since July of 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for five product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
  • All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
  • Recent notable press… There has been too much to mention already in 2024! Please check out our press page to see some of the amazing coverage of our work so far this year!

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Advertising and affiliate income help Lead Safe Mama, LLC cover the costs of the work we do here (independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead-poisoning prevention advocacy). We have removed ads from most of our more widely-read articles (like this one!) to make them easier for you to read. In addition to supporting this work by starting any shopping you might be doing with a click on our affiliate links, if you would like to support the independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead-poisoning prevention advocacy work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC by making a contribution (which will also help us keep our more widely-read articles ad-free), click here. Thank you!

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Published: March 22, 2024 — Friday

Introduction

Please note: This is a long article — for there is a lot to cover here! A “quick summary” is not useful in this matter, given the inherently incendiary nature of this issue (heavy-metals contaminated baby foods), and the many considerations that apply. While understanding the meaning of this testing and analysis requires and deserves a slow and thorough examination, if you don’t have the time right now, please take a look at the Index for this article (just below this introduction) and, if you must, you can skip ahead to any one of the specific sections that is of greater interest to you. For a #TLDR summary, skip to Section #10 “In Conclusion” — but again, please do not expect the conclusion of the article to contain all of the important details (it could not/ should not be expected to). Please also note, there are sections that integrate relevant and important images, but don’t forget to keep reading below the images for each of these sections. The intention behind all articles on LeadSafeMama.com is not to merely inform about specific products or brands, but also to educate and empower you, offering tools to help you make safer choices for your families related to the particular issue covered in the article, and also to give you information to help you extrapolate from what you learn here and apply the information to other, related/similar issues and concerns.

Some additional reading that may be of interest:

  1. Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s initial batch of food testing, including Serenity Kids Puffs, Siete Cassava Chips, Lesser Evil Puffs, and Happy Baby Puffs products (this is the article you are currently reading!)
  2. Lesser Evil’s response to our testing
  3. Serenity Kids’ response to our testing
  4. Test results for Bob’s Red Mill Cassava Flour
  5. Test results for Otto’s Naturals Cassava Flour
  6. Test results for Quay Naturals Cassava Flour
  7. Test results for Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Cassava Flour
  8. Initial email exchange with Terrasoul Superfoods about their Cassava Flour
  9. Follow-up email to Terrasoul Superfoods regarding the (questionable) “COA” they share with customers
  10. How to send your own food samples into a lab for testing (the cost is $195 per single food sample tested for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic)
  11. The Food category of articles here on Lead Safe Mama dot com — there are currently 34 articles in this category

Index: Sections for this article

  1. Caveats & considerations related to the testing completed for this article
  2. Why we decided to do this testing specifically
    • 2.a.) General concern for cassava/ cassava-flour based products
    • 2.b.) Concern for cassava-based baby foods
    • 2.c.) Concern for Serenity Kids Puffs®, specifically
    • 2.d.) Concern for a monoculture diet for infants & toddlers
    • 2.e.) Concern for the Clean Label Project & their certifications
  3. How much Lead (or Cadmium, Mercury, & Arsenic) is “too much” in prepared/ packaged baby foods?
  4. Which products Lead Safe Mama, LLC chose to test for this article & why
  5. What we expected to find with this testing (based on existing data)
  6. What we found, a summary of our test results for the products tested
  7. What about the Clean Label Project Purity Award?
  8. What can/ should you (as a consumer) do about this?
  9. Independent testing you can initiate yourself
  10. In Conclusion
  11. Supporting documentation & images for this article
    • 11.a.) Photos of the ingredients list for each product tested for this article
    • 11.b.) Clean Label Project Purity Award certificate for Serenity Kids Puffs®
    • 11.c) Lead Safe Mama, LLC’s full test result reports for each of the products we had tested

Section #1) Caveats for the testing completed for this article:

  • Only one container of each of these products was submitted for this initial round of testing.
  • We do not assert that these products will test similarly across the board (although it is not an unreasonable hypothesis that they would, with batch-specific variations possible, given what we know about heavy-metal contamination of cassava — the main ingredient in these products).
  • We are sharing this information to help shed light on the concern for toxicants in certain ingredients (specifically cassava, and rice) as well as to shed light on the lack of transparency of “certification” programs that do not publish the actual test result reports for the products they “certify.”
  • In light of these findings (just the latest in a series of revelations involving “certifying authorities”) we strongly encourage others to question these products — and their “certifications” — as we have come to.
  • In arranging to do this testing, the testing and reporting services were donated by SimpleLab to Lead Safe Mama, LLC without charge, to help further our mission of providing free science-based information and resources to the public.
  • We hope this is the first of many such collaborative projects with SimpleLab to come!

Section #2)Why we decided to do this testing

Section #2.a.) General concern for cassava

For many years, Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been providing one-on-one in-home consultations to families with questions about Lead exposure, Lead-poisoning, and Lead-poisoning prevention all over the country…

While we have always done phone consultations and video presentations, with the arrival of the pandemic, we — along with most businesses — began doing a lot more Zoom consultations. The families who contact us most frequently are those with “mysterious sources” of Lead exposure (i.e. blood test results for one or more family members has revealed an ongoing Lead exposure, but the source of that exposure cannot seem to be found), and most often these are situations in which a child lives in a new construction home yet persistently tests positive for a low (but significant) amount of Lead in their blood. Families often reach out to us for help when their child has a persistent and unexplained Blood Lead Level (BLL) in the range of 2.0 to 5.0 micrograms of Lead per deciliter of blood.

While we charge quite a bit for our in-person one-on-one home consultations (necessarily, as our fees need to cover flights, lodging, ground transportation, equipment registration, etc.), we charge significantly less for a Zoom consultation — and more and more people took advantage of that opportunity during the pandemic (when an in-person consultation really was not something a family with a sick child might consider). During this time (and with an expanded demographic for our consulting work) we noticed a new trend in poisonings of young children around the United States…

In these Zoom consultations, we worked with no fewer than eight separate families whose children had tested positive for persistent low levels of exposure yet who lived in new-construction homes (so the “usual suspects” — the Lead dust hazards common in older homes, and/or from recent renovations to those homes, had previously been ruled out and left an apparent “mystery” that had puzzled investigators) — but who had one other unusual/ unexpected key factor in common. In our probing interviews with these particular eight families, we discovered that each of these families had a child (or an entire household) that was on a “paleo” or “gluten-free” diet — or other specific diet in which their doctor or nutritionist recommended relying heavily on cassava flour-based products! These families were buying packaged cassava-based snacks and breads, and making cassava muffins, pancakes, and other cassava products at home that they were feeding to their children.

After we determined that one of these children was in fact most likely being poisoned by her daily cassava flour intake, the family had their cassava flour tested by an independent lab — it tested positive for more than 900 parts per billion (ppb) Lead (see a screenshot of the report below).

These findings were consistent with previous independent scientific research evaluating the concern for high levels of Lead-contamination of cassava and cassava flour-based products. While there are many easily findable related studies about this issue online, below is a screenshot of the abstract from one such study that found cassava to test positive for 340 ppb Lead (concluding it was unsafe for human consumption):

Section #2.b.) Concern for cassava-based baby foods

While we here at Lead Safe Mama, LLC have long been interested in having an opportunity to really dig into the issue of Lead in cassava (utilizing laboratory testing methodologies), we did not have access to the scientific resources — nor the funding to underwrite the type/level of testing that is required when evaluating metallic toxicants in ingested products (which is done with equipment and procedures that can accurately detect down to single digit parts per billion). We did write up this one article as a case study from our work with one family, so we could share about the issue in a more anecdotal format.

Given our general concern for Lead-contamination in cassava, we have always been concerned about cassava being fed to young children — however, we were not aware that there were cassava-flour-based baby food products being manufactured and sold. This had not even occurred to us as a possibility! Then, last summer (in June 2023) new reports of Lead in packaged/ prepared baby food hit the news cycle again. We had written about this issue before — and shared our overview article (published on February 6, 2021) with Lead Safe Mama community members asking questions about the concern at that time.

Given we now have a significantly-increased social media presence on Instagram — check out the image above — and given Instagram has a greater number of young mothers in the population than our following on Facebook, which tends to be more directed toward grandmothers than young mothers, we were slammed (throughout the summer of 2023) with questions about specific baby food products. One product really got our attention as it was a cassava flour-based baby food product that was mentioned over-and-over (we had about 500 inquiries asking for us to test this specific product!). This was when we first learned that such a product existed.

Section #2.c.) Concern for Serenity Kids Puffs®, specifically

The work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has always been a collaborative effort with our readers and world-wide community members (online and IRL). A key element in this collaboration is that we test what Lead Safe Mama community members ask us to test, prioritizing (as much as possible) the inquires that we get the most frequently (you can read more about our business model on this link).

In listening to the Lead Safe Mama readership in the summer of 2023, the baby food brand that everyone seemed to be asking about was the Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs®. We had more inquires about this specific product than any other product our readers were asking about. The Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® products are very popular because they bear all of the claims noted in the first image below (the banner image in black and white that is a screenshot of what scrolls across their website): No added sugar, rice-free, grain-free, soy-free, nut-free, corn-free, clean ingredients, and gluten-free. The second image below is of the actual product packaging for this item.

Of course, when we read the ingredients of these puffs (the primary/ first listed ingredient on each of these canisters is cassava) we were immediately concerned — not only about the evident popularity of this cassava-based baby food product, but — again — alarmed to learn of the mere existence of any cassava-based product for infants and toddlers (especially given the anticipated parental reliance on a snack product like this). You can see the full ingredients labels for each of the products we tested for this report (including the three Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® products) by scrolling down to section #11 below.

Section #2.d.) Concern for a “monoculture” diet for infants & toddlers

It is important to highlight the concern for “monoculture” diets at this point in our article. The issue is that safety ratings and servings sizes are based on manufacturer-determined standards/ assumptions regarding how much of their product an infant or toddler (or other size or age of human) might be expected to consume on any given day (or at any one sitting). The reality on the ground is that people (including babies) typically eat much more of a product than the arbitrarily-defined “serving.” Moreover, young parents today are so overwhelmed with choices and considerations that once they find something they believe is safe (something their child likes/ will eat), they may tend to overemphasize that single product (or product-type) in their child’s diet.

This is a key point of concern (as mentioned in the story shared above about the child who was poisoned with a cassava-based diet). A parent might have the impression that “cassava flour is ‘good'” — and then will choose to use that (or buy products made of that) more heavily than they might choose fresh fruits and vegetables (for example) — because it is quick, easy, and shelf-stable. This of course increases the likelihood of children being poisoned from a food product like cassava, as the amount consumed is far greater than was was projected to determine safety thresholds for consumption.

Section #2.e) Concern for the Clean Label Project & their certifications

An obvious response to the above concerns for both cassava-based food products (generally) and for the Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® products (specifically) is “But this brand has the Clean Label Project Purity Award, so it must be safe and metals-free!” I will go into this concern in more detail below (in section #7 of this article), but in this section I will stick with points relevant to the “why we decided to do this testing” question.

In October 2023 I was invited to meet up with Adam with the Clean Label Project at their lab in Colorado. Our meeting could best be described as “odd.” Their lab was housed in a warehouse style building. The building was mostly dark (he didn’t turn on most of the lights for my “tour”) — and there were no technicians working in the lab at the time, as he had scheduled our meeting towards the end of the day. It was just the two of us meeting — so to avoid “he said, she said” considerations, I will not go into too many specifics of the conversation, just a few of the highlights (which have been supported by my follow-up conversations with others involved with the Clean Label Project in one way or another):

  • In our meeting, Adam explained to me that the Clean Label Project does the testing (with their lab partner) but that “they do not make the test results of any specific product public.”
  • I explained to him that this practice is antithetical to the process and business practices of Lead Safe Mama, LLC — as it is our focus to share full test results to products whenever possible.
  • He offered to grant me full access to see their test results… as long as I signed an NDA and did not share the test results specifically — I could share about their work more generally. He said that their organization has this agreement with others. (I declined to take advantage of this “opportunity.”)
  • I explained that Lead Safe Mama, LLC had (at the time, back in October, 2023) been approached by several labs about possibly engaging in collaborative testing — for which we would publish all of our test results and make them fully available for the public — and that we were planning (in fact) to form our own lab: “Lead Safe Mama Labs,” which we hoped to launch in the coming year (funding permitting).
  • His opinion was that “it would be unethical” to publicly share the test results in this way! (I had a hard time formulating a response to this point in our conversation.) My understanding of his perspective is that he maintained that members of the public would not be able to understand the test results, and thus, sharing them might create upset or panic. Also that a single set of test results (for one batch of a product) might not be representative for the test results for a product or brand across the board — so it would not be fair to the company to publicly share any specific test results.
  • KEY POINT: He explained that their system is a “comparative ratings system” — that while they do not publish the test results, they compare products with other products in the same class and they have established their ratings as an expression of this comparative basis.
  • Per the screenshot below from the Clean Label Project’s website, what this means is that if a product tests low(er) for metals (in the top 33% of similar products) it gets their “Purity Award.”
  • Interestingly enough, he did explain to me that when there is a new product (like the cassava-based puffs) and there are not a lot of other products to serve as a benchmark for determining the top 33%, this is a difficult metric to assess.
  • My response was to explain how consumers can be reasonably expected to misunderstand the Clean Label Project’s rating system (especially given the language chosen like the “Purity Award”), and how most consumers actually assume that a product with the Clean Label Project Purity Award tests well independently (not only as compared to others, but as compared to safety standards for heavy metals that might be ingested by children). Many actually assume that the Purity Award means that the product is officially Lead-free (or free of all heavy metals, for that matter).

In response to this meeting, I decided it was even more important for Lead Safe Mama, LLC to test (and report the test results for) cassava-based products — and that (taking into account all of the above), the Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® product (given they have a Clean Label Project Purity Award and given the fact that Lead Safe Mama community members were most interested in this product) would be the best place to start.

From the Clean Label Project website RE: their Purity Award

Section #3) How much Lead (or Cadmium, Mercury, & Arsenic) is concerning in baby food?

There are lots of different regulations (including new proposed regulations) for food safety standards when it comes to heavy metals. We have written about this in depth before related to different subtopics.

You can read some of the above for context, however for this article we are going to focus our attention on the new (2021) proposed U.S. federal limits for toxicants (heavy metals) in baby foods. Firstly, acknowledging the scientific consensus that there is no “safe” level of exposure to these incredibly potent metallic toxicants for humans (and especially for babies) — these are the new proposed limits/ action levels:

  • Inorganic Arsenic: 10 ppb (15 ppb for cereal)
  • Lead: 5 ppb (or 10 ppb for cereal)
  • Cadmium: 5 ppb (or 10 ppb for cereal)
  • Mercury:  2 ppb (no exceptions or alternate limits)

Here’s a link to the legislation that discusses the above proposed limits in detail (the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021).The chart below is a screenshot from this legislation:

Here’s a link to a full PDF of this legislation (in case it gets removed from the congress.gov site).

Here’s a one-page summary of the above referenced legislative initiative:

Section #4) Which products Lead Safe Mama, LLC chose to test & why

SimpleLab agreed to test six samples for us. Our goal was to test as many different flavors of the Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® products as we could (because — again — that is what Lead Safe Mama readership overwhelmingly wanted tested). When we were shopping for the samples to test (in December 2023), we had trouble finding a wide-range of flavors of their puffs on the shelves in our local stores and purchasing them direct from the company’s website would have incurred a long shipping delay at that time. In light of these considerations, we chose to purchase the following products for testing (all from local Portland, Oregon area grocery stores):

  1. Three packages of the Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs®. We purchased three different flavors, as it seemed like there could be a range in test results based on the flavors — given the other potentially Lead-contaminated ingredients in these products, like powdered/ dried bone broth, and spinach:
    • Tomato & Herb Flavor (Clean Label Project Purity Award — valid 4/12/2021 through 10/3/2024, see certificate below)
    • Broccoli & Spinach Flavor (Clean Label Project Purity Award — valid 3/19/2021 through 10/3/2024, see certificate below)
    • Pumpkin & Cinnamon Flavor — not listed on the current Serenity Kids® Purity Award certificate
  2. One package of a non-cassava based baby food puff
    • We chose this for comparison, to see how test results for a non-cassava similarly-processed (puff-type) product might vary from one that was primarily made of cassava.
    • For this, we randomly chose the Happy Baby® Sweet Potato and Carrot Puffs.
  3. One package of a puff-type cassava-flour based product made for adults — Lesser Evil® Paleo Puffs (“No Cheese” flavor)
    • We also chose this for comparison, to see if the products made for adults (that were similar in composition and had similar production methods) might test the same or differently from the baby food products.
    • Important point of note: Adults often share their food with children, so one must also take that into account when evaluating the toxicant profile of all snack foods. The fact that the current regulation — discussed in Section #3, above — is only looking at foods expressly made and sold to be consumed by infants and toddlers is a huge oversight.
  4. One pack of Siete® Grain Free Tortilla Chips — No Salt
    • We chose this second product (as with the Lesser Evil® product, also made for consumption by adults, not babies) as it is cassava-based but not in “puff” form.
    • We thought it would be interesting to see if the test results of a different form of product might shed some light on range of potential test results that one might find with a different manufacturing method (since chips are not made in the same way/ on the same machinery as puffs).

Section #5) What we expected to find

Given our understanding of the pervasiveness of the issue of Lead in cassava-flour-based products, we anticipated finding Lead in all of the cassava-flour based products we tested. We also anticipated that we would likely find other toxicants; specifically we were expecting the one rice-based product would test positive for Arsenic. As this is the first food-testing project/ experiment ever undertaken by Lead Safe Mama, LLC (first of many, we anticipate!), we did not know what other metals we might find (and in what concentrations), nor what range of levels of the various metals we might find. The spreadsheet below has a summary of the test results for the products that we asked SimpleLab to test (noted above in Section #4). Section #6 (below) has a discussion of these findings. The full reports with test results for each of the products tested can be found in Section #11 of this article (towards the bottom of the page — scroll down).

Important point to note:  We sent these products in to SimpleLab using their supplied “blind” sample submission kits (i.e. without any brand name, product name, or other brand identifier). We did this to reduce the possibility of any possible bias in the process (not that we would expect bias in the process, but just as an added layer of procedural best-practices). For each product, we assigned it a code, and associated the code with the test report ID number. Those codes are listed in the spreadsheet below (and are also noted on the full PDF of each report in Section #11 below).

Section #6) What we found
(see image above with a summary of our test results)

In doing the research for this article I could not find a definition of “cereal” vs. “non-cereal” as related to the legislation linked above in section #3. If you can find that definition and share it with us, we will update this article. For the purpose of interpreting the results above, I am going to reference the lower limits (assuming the definition of “cereal” is for a product mixed with water, juice or milk for eating, which would not apply to any of the products we had tested). Here’s the referenced levels again:

Narrative discussion of the results are shown in the spreadheet above.

Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs®

  1. All three samples of the Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® tested positive for Lead at levels above the 5 ppb “Action Level” for infant and toddler foods. Even if these were considered to be “cereal” the levels of Lead for each sample exceeded the new proposed Action Level of 10 ppb.
    • Pumpkin was positive for 13 ppb Lead
    • Broccoli was positive for 24 ppb Lead
    • Tomato was positive for 30 ppb. 30 ppb Lead is 600% of the new proposed Action Level for Lead in baby food.
  2. Two of the samples of the Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® tested positive for Cadmium at levels above the 5 ppb Action Level
    • Broccoli was positive for 18 ppb Cadmium
    • Tomato was positive for 21 ppb Cadmium
  3. Tomato “wins the prize” as it was positive for all four metallic toxicants we tested for — Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic.
    • The Mercury level was 42 ppb — FAR ABOVE the 2 ppb Action Level for Mercury set by the new legislation (2,100% of the action level).
    • The Arsenic Level of 21 ppb is above the Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic (10 ppb), however the testing done for Lead Safe Mama, LLC did not break out the distinctions between Organic and Inorganic Arsenic — so it is not possible to fully evaluate the potential for harm with the data we collected (only as related to Arsenic).
  4. Interesting Point: Of the THREE flavors of Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® we tested, only TWO of these are mentioned on the Clean Label Project Purity Award Certificate (see below).
  5. The two Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® listed on the Purity Award certificate had the highest levels of toxicants (of the three samples tested).

Happy Baby® Sweet Potato and Carrot Puffs

  1. The Happy Baby® Sweet Potato and Carrot Puffs tested positive for Lead, Arsenic, and Cadmium at levels above the Action Levels noted above.
  2. The Arsenic Level of 234 ppb is far above the Action Level for Inorganic Arsenic (10 ppb), however the testing done for Lead Safe Mama, LLC did not break out the distinctions between Organic and Inorganic Arsenic — so it is not possible to fully evaluate the potential for harm with the data we collected (only as related to Arsenic). That said, both forms of Arsenic are bioavailable to some degree — so at the level of 234 ppb, it is reasonable to extrapolate that the Arsenic found is likely a concerning level of Arsenic.
  3. The Lead level found in the Happy Baby product (9 ppb) was lower than the Lead levels in ANY of the Clean Label Project Certified Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® (including the products listed on the Purity Award certificate for those products).
  4. The Cadmium level found in the Happy Baby product (11 ppb) was lower than the Cadmium levels found in the two Clean Label Project Certified Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® (each products listed on the Purity Award certificate).

Siete® Grain Free Tortilla Chips — No Salt

  1. Our Siete® Grain Free Tortilla Chips, No Salt sample was purchased previously (not when the other products were purchased for this project). It was one of the first products we purchased with the intention of testing it for Lead (once we had the resources to do so).
  2. The expiration date for this package is in 2022.
  3. It would appear that it is likely that this bag of product is covered in the legal action that was taken against Siete (you can find a link to that here).
  4. I was not able to find out (looking online) what the outcome of that legal action was; if you do find out, please let us know so we can update this article. In the meantime, I have e-mailed the attorney of record asking for an update.
  5. The Lead level found in this product (141 ppb) was outrageously high and very concerning. It is especially concerning given the fact that children also eat these chips — including small children — and 141 ppb is far in excess of the 5 ppb proposed threshold for Lead in food items for toddlers.
  6. The Lead level is also concerning because the thresholds / limits for Lead in foods is based on anticipated quantities to be eaten (serving size) — and you and I both know there are people out there who eat a whole bag of these chips in a sitting.
  7. Serving size is noted on the bag as “one ounce” — or “15 chips.” (Ha!)
  8. These chips also tested positive for Cadmium at a level (12 ppb) that is more than 200% of the Action Level for foods consumed by toddlers.

Lesser Evil® Paleo Puffs (“No Cheese” flavor)

  1. While all of these products are bad (when it comes to their heavy metals profile), this one wins the prize (on one level at least) for the highest levels of Mercury found!
  2. At 52 ppb Mercury, this far exceeds the threshold/ proposed Action Level for young children of 2 ppb Mercury
  3. However this is “only” 10 ppb Mercury more than the Purity Award Certified Serenity Kids Grain Free Puffs® in Tomato flavor!
  4. Who thought up the name for this product? Isn’t that the most interesting irony? This would be funny if it were not so tragic!

Please let me know if you have questions about any of the points noted above!

Section #7) More thoughts on the Clean Label Project Purity Award & Certifications based on our findings:

Perhaps I overuse the graphic (directly above) — and it definitely dates me — but that classic applicable observation (from The Princess Bride) comes up so often in my work! So. Very. Often. I just wanted to take a minute to reiterate that most people misunderstand what the Clean Label Project Purity Award (and their other certifications) actually represent. This is a fundamental problem with the language the Clean Label Project program utilizes. One cannot blame the consumer for “misunderstanding” the messaging, because the “misunderstanding” is pervasive — and the lack of clarity almost seems like it is an intentional outcome of the program, given the language they have chosen.

  • Consumers — quite reasonably — assume “Clean Label Certification” means the product is actually “clean.”
  • Consumers assume that a “clean” product means the product is free of heavy metal toxicants.
  • Consumers assume when a company says it “tests for metals on a regular basis” to make sure products are “clean,” that this means the company tests for heavy metals to make sure the products are FREE of heavy metals.
  • While it may not be possible for all foods to be entirely free of metals, it is not impossible for them to be virtually free of most (or many). The “Lesser Evil” product — while positive for Mercury — is actually free of Arsenic, Lead, and Cadmium (subject to the limits of detection of the testing performed). If one product can be free of those metals, this speaks to the possibility that other products can be free of those metals as well… it is obviously possible.
  • It seems like the use of the word “transparency” (second image below) is empty hype; the implied commitment to transparency rings hollow — belied by the fact that the Clean Label Project is actually the opposite of “transparent” — given they don’t make the results of their testing public.
  • The “First 1,000 Day Promise Certification” seems like complete nonsense in context, given we found one of their Purity Award baby food products tested positive for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic (mostly at levels considered unsafe by the currently proposed new standards for maximum toxicant levels for baby food).
  • I hate to be cynical, but perhaps some possible insight into the agency’s seemingly paradoxical approach to their ostensibly pure-hearted, consumer-focused mission may be found by considering a careful reading of the final jargon-laden sentence in their “Pesticide Free Certification” description (fourth image below), which appears to be worded solely in appeal to the interests of producers, rather than consumers: “Market opportunities exist…for growers, suppliers, manufacturers, brand owners, and retailers looking to curate products ands systems that actively commit to reducing reliance on pesticides in order to meet evolving consumer expectations and concerns.”

The screenshots below were taken from the Clean Label Project website on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Section #8) What can/ should I (as a consumer) do about this?

The most important take-away from these findings is that we (consumers) cannot trust corporations to self-police, and we also should not put our faith in any of the “certifying” agencies (agencies that specifically are ostensibly focused on ensuring or certifying product safety). We have seen this over, and over, and over again… EWG has given their top rating (“#1”) to more than a dozen Lead-contaminated products, as discovered by Lead Safe Mama, LLC (article here); the Certipur certification has been given to products contaminated with unsafe and illegal levels of Antimony (as discovered by Lead Safe Mama, LLC — article here); the top Made Safe Certification was given to a baby bottle that tested positive for unsafe levels of Lead (in 2016, 2017, and 2018) that has still not yet been recalled (also as discovered by Lead Safe Mama, LLC — read the article here). At this point, it is NOT an anomaly but a trend that can be anticipated from these agencies. For more specific steps of tangible actions you can take, please check out our “In Conclusion” section below.

Section #9) Independent testing you can initiate yourself 

The testing we had completed for this project (specifically designed to help quantify the level of toxicants found in cassava flour-based baby food products) was donated by GoSimpleLab.com (SimpleLab). SimpleLab also runs and owns MyTapScore.com (we will be testing out their water testing products and reporting back on that shortly). The folks at SimpleLab offered to help the Lead Safe Mama, LLC community with this project as a way of forwarding our mission (making unbiased science available directly to consumers so consumers can make informed decisions for their families). We appreciate their donated testing services, but otherwise at this time have no financial relationship or incentive for recommending them, other than that they appear to be a well-run lab with refreshingly professional communication and straight-forward business practices. They sell their food test kits for metals (the kits we used for this project) for $189. You can order the kits yourself (and send in your own food samples to test, following the instructions included).

Or, you could consider directly supporting the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC in partnering for more projects like this in the future. We have a few upcoming projects in mind and will be discussing those ideas with the folks at SimpleLab shortly after we publish this article. If you have a food item you would like tested, please do comment below and let us know what that is (the brand, where you buy it, what your concerns are with the product, etc). Thank you.

Section #10) In Conclusion…

There are, perhaps, quite a few conclusions that could be drawn from the outcome of this testing project… we will note what we consider the most obvious; if you come to other conclusions as a result of the above presented information, please feel free to comment on this article (there is a comment box below). Please also let us know if any point we have made is unclear and we will work to clarify those points with edits in the coming days.

  1. This is not a “doom and gloom” situation. There are simple steps you can take to help protect your baby:
    • Avoid eating cassava flour-based products whenever possible.
    • Avoid feeding children/ infants cassava-based products, period.
    • Avoid feeding children/ infants rice flour-based products, period.
    • Limit feeding infants and toddlers any snacks made with any type of processed/ ground flour (this includes pretzels, chips, puffs, etc.)
    • Don’t replace one flour-based product (or snack) with another made from a different kind of flour.
      • Instead, try to replace flour-based products with fresh, raw (or lightly cooked), whole foods — whenever possible.
    • Consider making your own flour (and flour-based snacks) at home (flour does not need to be a single-ingredient product, it can be made from a mix of grains, seeds, nuts, etc).
    • A primary goal (as parents) should be limiting the total aggregate Lead exposure for our children (read more about that here). The above steps will help with that. More action items are below.
  2. Limit the sources of Lead (and other toxicants) in your child’s life that you can control (so you don’t have to worry about any potential sources that may be beyond your control). Read this for more info.
  3. Demand that certification agencies (non-profits and public agencies) share testing data openly and publicly.
  4. Demand that baby food manufacturers share testing data openly and publicly (ongoing, batch-specific testing data).
  5. When feeding your infant or toddler, focus on fresh, whole fruits and vegetables as a basis for their diet (avoid ground, processed, dried, packaged food products — including chips or puffs — whenever possible).
  6. Don’t panic — instead, educate yourself and those in your community using science to make informed choices for your family.
  7. If your child has been eating a cassava-heavy diet up to this point, consider asking their doctor for a Blood Lead Level (BLL) test immediately. Knowing your child’s BLL (especially if they have not been tested recently) is the most important piece of scientific data you can collect in this moment.
  8. To learn more about the issue of childhood Lead poisoning, please consider watching the documentary film we created on the subject.
  9. To start your journey looking for other potential (easy-to-eliminate) sources of Lead in your life, check out the Lead Safe Mama website menu linked here.

Section #11) Supporting Documentation & Images

Section #11.a.) Ingredient panel photos for exact products we tested:

Section #11.b.) Clean Label Project Purity Award Certification for Serenity Kids® Products

Here’s a direct link to the full report (three screenshots are below).

Section #11.c.) Full Lead Safe Mama, LLC test result reports (from SimpleLab) for the products referenced above:

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112 Comments

  1. Are there any organic store bought snacks with good ingredients that are safe from all of this? I thought I was sending my child to school with healthy options by Lesser Evil snacks since they use coconut oil and organic. Everything else is whole food based. My 9 year old just wants chips or crackers like others to snack on. I want him safe first and foremost. Thank you for all that you do. I’m so upset I have unintentionally been poisoning my son and family with what I thought was a good option. 🙁

    Reply

    1. Hi Charlotte – I think start with looking for cassava-free options. Cassava is one of the most contaminated foods.(Second: look for Rice-free options too!)
      T

      Reply

      1. Does it matter if you make the cassava yourself fresh from the scratch from raw cassava tubers? Like in some cultures that eat cassava fresh tubers.

        Reply

    2. This is devastating news!! My 9 month old loves his puffs and has eaten them every day for weeks . In the trash they go. I read that you wrote to avoid flours, so does this include sorghum flour? Once Upon A Farm uses that in their puffs.

      Reply

    3. So extremely well researched! (I am a librarian…)
      Thank you for all this work, Tamara, especially for your advice on steps families can follow including, “Don’t panic.”

      Reply

  2. I ordered these puffs for my son in middle of June 2021 and then again in Aug, Sep and Oct 2021. He had an annual wellness check on 6/30/21 and BLL was <1…but I didnt test again until March 2022…so I have no idea how much lead he was exposed to and he was only a year old 🙁 From reading your article about the half life Im assuming if he consumed any puffs it wouldve showed up on the June lead test. It's hard to tell but it's def making me worry a bit and wishing I couldve tested him again during those 4 months! What do you think Tamara? Should I be worried about his exposure for those months he wasnt tested? Thank you soooo much for your effort and work!!

    Reply

    1. What was his level when you retested March 2022? I feel like if both times were <1, then the effect on him is minimal!

      Reply

      1. Both times were <1 but he def consumed a lot of more after the June test, like from July to Nov 2021 so I worried it wasn’t detectable by March anymore and moved into the bones, organs etc 🙁

        Will stay positive that he wasn’t impacted!! Thanks!

        Reply

        1. How much did he eat before June? My babe literally had 3 boxes within 2 weeks in vacation lol. Then had nothing after that… mom guilt is real lol

          Reply

          1. June was his first time, so maybe just one container before his June test? Not exactly sure it’s been so long

            Did you test your baby or it’s too late at this point?

  3. Tamara, thank you for collaborating to add testing of ingestibles (non-nutritive food-like substances) in your quest to enlighten readers! 😀

    I consumed cassava-based products for more than a year on a doctor-prescribed gluten-free vegan diet. I knew to dodge rice (arsenic), but had no idea that cassava is heavily contaminated with heavy metals. Was also following numerous DETOX protocols and wonder if those efforts even moved the needle since I was consuming unsweetened Three Wishes cassava based cereal and using doctor-recommended Pectasol modified citrus pectin. “Vegan” is widely prescribed for cancer patients by integrative, functional medicine and holistic practitioners.

    Very grateful for your work and the meticulously documented scientific findings. Outstanding reporting on the sham “Clean Label Project Certification.”

    Will share widely in my little circle of influence and hope it is picked up by every news outlet.

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Brenda! I always love to read your comments. I’m sorry you have been caught up in this. It’s very frustrating that the most vulnerable seem to be impacted, but perhaps that is why little action is taken (Federally / legislatively).

      T

      Reply

  5. This is infuriating! Not your work, but the fact that these companies are allowed to put out products that are dangerous! I’ve been unintentionally poisoning myself and my family with all of these products! How is this legal? Are companies not required to test for these metals? Is there not a regulatory agency that has to approve of products before they hit the shelves? I’m just trying to wrap my mind around all of this. I’ve been having bizarre symptoms for awhile now and recently sent off a sample for heavy metal testing. It will be interesting to see what it comes back saying. I’ve been gluten free for several years now and of course I’ve consumed cassava flour frequently every week!

    Reply

    2. And to answer your questions – the Feds are asleep at the wheel. We have to do this policing ourselves as consumers. Our environmental agencies have had their hands tied behind their backs in the past 8 years +
      T

      Reply

      1. Yes, I’ll keep you posted about the test results! Also, do you have a list of food ingredients that would naturally be higher in leaf/other heavy metals? Is it because of the soil they’re grown in too? Or just from the processing?

        Reply

      2. I’m so disappointed in our government. Thank goodness for you and the research you do. Any idea if Siete tortillas are safe?

        Reply

        1. Would love you to test various brands of protein powders and collagen / bone broth next … Truvani, Equip, Sprout Living, root and bone collagen, bonafide provisions bone broth, kettle and fire bone broth etc. know these are often high in metals and I always ask for third party testing before buying but would love to see what your results show!

          Reply

  6. If you do more testing can you do Gerber crunchies garden tomato puffs to see if other tomato flavored puffs might be higher in heavy metals too?

    Reply

  7. Thank you, thank you, Tamara! I was/am one of the consumers that bought-into the theory that these Clean Label Project foods were free of toxicants. I specifically sought them out when choosing products for my baby, believing the hype and thought I was doing the best thing. Ugh!
    Next request for testing: Once Upon A Farm pouches.
    Thanks again for all that Lead Safe Mama does!

    Reply

        1. No – not yet. I do know that they are one of the most important crops for choosing organic. Non-organic chick pea crops are among the most contaminated.

          Reply

  8. Hi Tamara, I’ve recently been researching baby food snacks to give to my 9 month old. The top puffs I had found were Yumi and Once Upon a Farm. Their top ingredient is sorghum flour (which I don’t know much about to be honest). Upon reading this article I double checked the ingredient list and found that cassava flour is the second ingredient for the Yumi brand. I’ve been giving him less than the suggested portion size. Should I dispose of the Yumi puffs or is it safe to give him a few once in a while?

    Reply

    1. I personally would not give my children any food with any amount of cassava in it.

      My son has a permanent brain injury from Lead poisoning. The impact of Lead in the body is cumulative. It is not worth the risk.

      Please watch my documentary feature film on the subject (if you have not yet):
      https://tamararubin.com/2023/01/a-link-to-my-film/

      Let me know if you have any more questions after you watch it!

      T

      T

      Reply

    2. Hi, I also have used the Yumi puffs and the Yumi Bars.. I’m on their website for the ingredients and I do not see cassava flour listed for these items. It only mentions “Organic Sorghum Flour.” Can you show me where you found cassava in their ingredients?! Freakin out!

      Reply

      1. Hi Alyssa, I didn’t have the Yumi puffs with me on hand so I checked the ingredient list on the Walmart website (where I bought them from). I was freaking out too but checked my actual bottles of Yumi puffs just now and cassava flour isn’t listed on them… Maybe the picture they have on the Walmart website is old? My apologies for alarming you.
        https://www.walmart.com/ip/YUMI-Organic-Stage-3-Apple-Broccoli-Puffs-1-5oz/5073145640?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=4695&adid=222222222785073145640_117755028669_12420145346&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-306310554666&wl5=9022879&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=5073145640&wl13=4695&veh=sem_LIA&gclsrc=aw.ds&&adid=222222222385073145640_117755028669_12420145346&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=501107745824&wl4=pla-306310554666&wl5=9022879&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=5073145640&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q4nNFYaM6_oPzv5VnIsNzcGVM2ZKzX5b0S8dCVjd8aPiCWn-1P5f0UaAvj7EALw_wcB

        Reply

  9. I wonder if Simple Mills crackers also have high levels of lead. I am gluten free and I’ve gotten into the habit of eating them quite frequently as they are the best tasting out there. I’m breastfeeding and now worried I have possibly positioned my baby through eating these.

    Reply

    1. I second this suggestion! I love Simple Mills Original Seed Crackers and have been devouring them for the past few years. They are made of cassava flour & tapioca starch. I wonder how bad they are. Official request to test these please! I would definitely donate $$ (not sure I want to pay the whole $189 myself to have the lab test done). Thank you so much for the work you do Lead Safe Mama!

      Reply

      1. I concur as a Third person who would like to see “Simple Mills (Organic) Original Seed Crackers ” tested. Thank you so much! Such valuable work!

        Reply

  10. This is incredible work just wanted to say big fan! I would be very curious to see infant & toddler formulas/goat milk formulas from the US/EU that are considered organic and/or healthier options to see how they test
    Thank you for the work you do!

    Reply

  11. I so heartbroken that Serenity Puffs have tested positive for these poisonous chemicals! For the most part, my 11 month old gets whole fruits and veggies but I’ll admit, sometimes we are on the go and opt for the puffs. My son also loves them so much that he will bring them to me so he can snack on them. I assumed they were clean and a much healthier option compared to other brands on the market. I would see posts from “crunchy” moms staying to stay away from flour. I don’t even give my child anything with bread. He only consumes meat, veggies, and fruits with the exception to the puffs and his one “treat.” Is there a specific flour I can use instead to make a homemade style puff/teether treat that would be free of these lead, arsenic, mercury, or cadmium?

    Reply

  12. Wowee what an eye-opener! Great work!

    P.S. Do you know or can you share the name of the company whose cassava flour was tested?

    Reply

  13. Thank you so much for the insights Tamara. I’ve been a long time follower and this article couldn’t be better timed. My daughter just turned one and tested with a 1.1 ug/dL level. We consume a moderate level of cassava based products due to her food allergies, both her and I consume them as she is breastfed. I, myself, will be getting tested too. I’m very curious, do you know of any testing for lead that can be done on breast milk?

    For context, I eat Siete chips at least once weekly (normally and entire bag over the course of 3 meals) and my daughter eats a handful of serenity puffs weekly. Fortunately with all of our limitations, most of her and my food is fresh veggies, fruit and meat.

    One of our only other processed food exposures is Three Wishes grain free cereal which is chickpea based. As a mom in the food allergy community, we see a lot of chickpea based products, I’d love to see it tested. It’s not specifically marketed for babies or toddlers but it is one of the only dairy/soy/gluten free “cereals” out there and is a popular choice for our little ones due to the lower sugar level.

    Thank you again, as always your full article and insight are so much appreciated!

    Reply

  14. We feed and our baby and our toddler a lot of Cerebelly products because it has the Clean Label Project label and have been relaying on this as a safe staple, not realizing this was possible. The eat these products daily in addition to Whole Foods but we assumed it meant safe. We use all the flavors of the squeeze pouches and we have them eat cereal bars (Cerebelly or Yumi brand) in the morning before breakfast. We also have trust in the Cerebelly brand because its creator is a neuroscientist. We buy at Target. Would love to see all of the flavors of Cerebelly squeeze pouches tested for safety. It seems like a good way to get fruits and veggies in the babies but maybe we’re oversampling as you mentioned which I’d never worried about. Sometimes the have more than one pouch per day. 1-2 is average with flavors assorted as we buy them in bulk at this point.

    Reply

  16. Thank you for doing this work. I had dived into the Clean Label Project a couple months ago when researching safe prenatal vitamins. I did discover that the Purity Award is based on comparing the products to one another, rather than having a firm benchmark for purity, and I was disappointed by this. I’m wondering if the Clean Label Project Certified designation is any better than the Purity Award. From the website it sounds like Clean Label Project Certified has to meet Prop 65 benchmarks for heavy metals, which seems preferable to the Purity Award, but I wasn’t sure if you had any additional insight. Thank you!

    Reply

  17. Being gluten free for 16 years due to being g Celiac. I’ve eaten a fair share of cassava. I recently bought, but haven’t consumed yet, the Jovial brand of pasta made in ITALY, that is made with cassava. I’m curious your thoughts on cassava that comes from other countries as the EU seems to have stricter regulations. Is cassava just inherently high in metals or is it the soil/pesticide use?
    Thank you for your dedication to this work.

    Reply

    1. Hello MaryEllen,

      From the research I have done (reviewing all of the scientific journal articles I have been able to find on the subject) – my understanding is that this is a problem across the board for cassava (not location-dependent).

      You might want to consider asking your doctor about getting a hair test or a urine test for metals (there is a link above in this article with more info on that) – and then make your decisions moving forward based on that information.

      T

      Reply

    2. Extremely important factor to point out! That is something I keep thinking about as I’m reading this article. That is what they definitely find for dark chocolate and with some different types of rice.

      Reply

  19. Serenity Kids has been a brand I’ve trusted ever since my little one began eating solids. I’m not referring so much to their puffs, but to their purées. It’s quite disappointing and terrifying to read the results of this testing. As a working mom with no support network, I found some help in what was widely accepted as a ‘clean’ brand, and trusted them with the most precious thing in life – my baby’s health and wellbeing. Discovering that they’ve let me down in this way feels like a betrayal. With the immense responsibility we carry these days, providing our little ones with homemade snacks from scratch is very hard. Coupled with a demanding career, it feels almost impossible. I’m not sure if there are any brands or certifications we can really rely on. At present, I feel very concerned, disappointed, and annoyed.
    Thank you for your work and such a comprehensive report!

    Reply

  20. Thank you for this testing! I’ve been wanting for info on lead levels in food – especially in what my girl eats.

    If you could look into the ready.set.food products – I have been giving these to my girl for over a year, starting with the milk mix ins for allergy introduction at 4 months! We used the mix ins, then moved to their oatmeal, puffs, and fruit bars. They also have the same purity clean label on them but that doesn’t comfort me now. Lol they are not cassava based products however. They won’t share their testing results with me, but they do say they are in the ‘closer to zero’ project.

    My girl does have elevated lead levels. We’ve done dust wipes in the house and didn’t find anything as well as water. Some in Sandy soil outside so we are getting sod put down to cover the bare spots in our Sandy FL yard. But we feel it’s coming from her food somewhere.

    I checked out the website for the testing to order a kit from the same lab you did. It looks like the food metal test there is $142 and tests for 4 metals. Is there another test kit that I can’t find? And the info is vague. Is that per one sample? Or 5 samples like you sent?

    Thank you for the work that you do! This article was highly anticipated by me and I’m looking forward to your new projects to come. (Though I think we will move forward with sending our samples in asap for peace of mind for me now!)

    Thanks!
    Alaina

    Reply

    1. The ready.set.food brand can be purchased directly on their website, Amazon, target, and I believe they were just added to Walmart as well.

      Reply

  21. So sad to hear this knowing I have been feeding my baby boy Serenity since he was old enough for solids. He is now 2, and it sounds like I should have him tested. I’m heartbroken knowing I could have harmed him. He is in love with their pouches, and now I’m concerned for those as well.

    Reply

  22. Thank you for all of this. It seems like nothing is clean or safe anymore. It’s scary and discouraging. I’m scared to even ask. We give our kids Once Upon a Farm pouches. Would you consider testing them and Cerebelly? Both can be found at Target in certain areas and I think both are in whole foods like grocery stores. Again, thank you for all you do for us.

    Reply

  23. Thank you for your work on this. I should know better by now, but fell for the “Clean Label Project” marketing just the other day. I bought some pouches by the brand Once Upon A Farm/Cerebelly. I would love to see test results for pouches by these brands as they claim to test for heavy metals and I thought I was making a “safer” choice by choosing these brands.

    Is tapioca as concerning as an ingredient as cassava? I noticed tapioca listed as an ingredient in the Cerebelly pouches.

    When you say to avoid foods containing flours, do you mean to avoid baking with wheat flour as well? My son and I enjoy baking together and usually bake with organic whole wheat flour. It’s only on occasion, but I’m wondering how harmful it is to eat our baked goods. We try to avoid buying processed foods as much as possible.

    Thank you for your work!

    Reply

  24. Do you know if tapioca flour, potentially has the same issue as cassava? My understanding is that tapioca flour is derived from cassava?

    Reply

      1. I’m hoping you can do this next. Many product that don’t seem to have rice or cassava flour have tapioca starch/flour high on their ingredient list.

        Reply

  25. Wtf! We eat mostly whole foods but we have been relying on Serenity Kids pouches, and Cerebelly bars for daycare and pre-school snacks. Are you planning to test them?
    We used to have Serenity Kids Carrot and Beet puffs when our child was younger, almost every day and when going out, but I stopped using them for two reasons: unpopped kernels I kept finding among the puffs, a huge choking hazard and, based on your posts, concerns about cassava flour in general. I replaced them with a bag of organic puffed kamut breakfast cereal – it’s just kamut grains, nothing added – and he eats them without any issues, but once in a way asks about “carrot puffs”…
    Thank you so much for doing all that you do and keeping us informed. Our government agencies have failed again in their basic roles and they are letting our children get poisoned.

    Reply

  26. When you say flour is contaminated with metals, do you mean regular high gluten flour, almond flours, etc.? I have a picky eater and he loves to eat muffins, breads, pancakes, etc. what would be the best alternative in our home for the babies

    Reply

    1. Any mechanically processed food is more likely to have higher levels of lead or other heavy metals found in the machine finishing process.

      Reply

    2. Start by eliminating the items of greatest concern: cassava and rice flours. We make our own flours at home by grinding organic seeds, nuts and grains.

      Reply

    3. Wow. Thank you for your investigation into this. Do you think organic corn-based products should also be avoided as well, like cassava and rice products? I’ve read that corn can also be high in heavy metals, but saw some LesserEvil products that are organic cornmeal. Thank you!

      Reply

      1. I have not seen reports that put corn on the same level as cassava and rice for heavy metal contamination – but we can look into that for sure.
        T

        Reply

  28. My toddler only eats rice and beans or pasta with cheese. Do I need to be worried about all the rice she eats? Are there less toxic white rice options?

    Reply

    1. Lundberg brand rice is said to be the best to avoid arsenic. Rice, grown in areas where they used to grow cotton, like the southeastern parts of the US can be high in arsenic. This is related to the pesticides used on the cotton that stays in the soil. Rice is grown in water partly and easily sucks up the leftover arsenic from the previously contaminated soil.

      That is the only brand I will use. I’m an RN Clinical Nutritionist.

      Reply

  29. Thank you so much for everything you do. I think next to serenity kids the most popular brand out there is once upon a farm, if possible please test them next. This is all so concerning.

    Reply

  31. Thank you so much for doing this. People think I’m crazy to worry about lead, but after learning about it from buying a 1930’s house with old lead doors, I have been very careful to make sure my child is protected in all ways. I’m trying to give her only real food, but pouches are needed at times. I bought holle organic from whole foods but wanted to try serenity (now i won’t), cerebelly and once upon a farm. Can you please test these? Can you also test else baby cereal which I’m not convinced is bad too? Thank you Tamara, we need you.

    Reply

  32. Hi! How soon should a toddler be tested for possible contamination. I called my daughters doctor today and they don’t have any available appointments till the end of April.

    Reply

  34. Please consider testing the following:
    Simple mills crackers, fine ground sea salt flavor
    Simple mills artisan bread mix
    Simple mills sweet thins
    Made good star puffed crackers, any/all flavors
    Catalina crunch cereal, chocolate/chocolate PB flavor
    Three wishes cereal, fruity flavor
    These all contain tapioca and I’m wondering how they compare to the cassava flour

    Reply

    1. Yes, I agree – please add Simple Mills products to your testing as well as From the Ground Up products. Both companies use cassava :/

      Reply

  35. Thank you so much Tamara for testing foods. I’d love to see jovial organic brown rice pasta, FOND bone broth, and made in nature organic dried apricots tested. And sorry, I accidentally commented this on the wrong post earlier.

    Reply

  36. I think it would be really interesting to test not just cassava-based food items, but also cosmetics — particularly deodorant. Many natural, aluminum-free deodorants are primarily made with arrowroot powder. Is this something that so many people are exposing themselves to on the daily while trying to be healthier? Seems like the “crunchy” natural community would be most at risk here.

    Reply

  37. Thank you for what you do. I would love to see Ancient Nutrition products tested, their collagen and protein powders specifically. They are really popular in our area.

    Reply

  38. Thank you for all you do, Tamara! I tested off the charts for lead several years ago on a provoked urine test months after consuming lots of cassava for a year. I follow the Autoimmune Protocol Diet, which has put my autoimmune disease in remission, but I’m definitely on the alert for lead in foods since I consume a lot of root vegetables and unusual foods.
    My go to flours now are organic TIGER NUT FLOUR (from Azure Standard) and ARROWROOT STARCH (from Terrasoul). I would love for you to test them. I’m also very curious whether cassava/yuca leaches lead from the soil, or if it’s contaminated through processing. That could be determined by buying the root at an Asian/Latin market and testing it.
    Other foods I would love tested:
    GRASS-FED BEEF GELATIN (such as Zint or Aspen Naturals)
    SWEET POTOATO with and without skin
    MURASAKI SWEET POTATO (Latin and Asian markets)
    TARO/YAUTIA/MALANGA ISLEÑA (Latin and Asian markets, similar to Yuca/Cassava)
    COCONUT FLOUR
    CAROB POWDER (Terrasoul)
    COCONUT MILK POWDER (Terrasoul)
    Bob’s Red Mill ORGANIC RICE FLOUR
    Organic SORGHUM FLOUR
    Arrowhead Mills 1 TO 1 ALL PURPOSE GLUTEN FREE FLOUR
    I would be happy to pay you to get these and test them.
    You’re a huge blessing!

    Reply

  40. Can the product companies or the Clean Label company be sued? We paid top dollar for “clean” products that are probably the same or worse as store bought. I feel horrible as a parent allowing my son to have as much as he wants because I confided in the product and the Clean Label Project.

    Reply

  41. I literally feel sick as my child is autistic and although we arent in amercia and it isnt these puffs he only has like 8 safe foods that he will eat and they are all lead heavy according to this website.
    Crisps , baby crisps and puffs, nutella on toast ( chocolate spread) , frozen oven fries, packet noodles, baby biscotti bisuits and baby rusks, grated cheese. The only good thing he eats is watermelon. What can we do about it…nothing. Its awful the most vulnerable are affected.

    Reply

  42. Serenity brand has been a favorite in my house bc my son has a lot of food allergies. I was excited for something “safe” for him to eat. I’m angry now at the brand/company for being so deceiving with their label. And to think that this man, who represented Serenity, questioned your ethics bc you wanted to be up front with us. He, and that company, ought to be ashamed of themselves for hiding information that is important to their consumers, especially when it comes to children.
    Thank you for exposing them for being a fraud!

    Reply

    1. hi Jenn… who was questioning my ethics? I’m confused. Did I miss something? Thanks in advance for your response!
      T

      Reply

      1. I explained that Lead Safe Mama, LLC had (at the time – back in October, 2023) been approached by several labs about possibly engaging in collaborative testing – for which we would publish all of our test results and make them fully available for the public – and that we were planning (in fact) to form our own lab – “Lead Safe Mama Labs”, which we hoped to launch in the coming year (funding permitting).
        His opinion was that “it would be unethical” to publicly share the test results in this way!

        Reply

        1. Yes – thank you. I had spaced and didn’t have the context for the comment here – been a busy few days!

          Reply

  43. Can you please test One Degree Organic Foods Sprouted Rolled Oats? I eat them everyday and have been grinding them up for my 7month old to add to his food as his doctor recommended oats or rice with two solid meals a day. I was scared to try the baby oats and rice brands (very limited brands), so I started grinding the oats I eat for him. I’m hoping these oats don’t have high metals too…just losing hope on finding anything safe these days.
    Also, I purchased multiple containers of the Serenity puffs and Lesser Evil puffs for him to try once we got through trying all the fruits and veggies. Luckily we hadn’t opened any yet. I will be returning them to Whole Foods and Walmart. Very disappointing. I went to Whole Foods first to see what they sold because they’re supposed to have stricter regulations on what they sell and that’s where I got the Lesser evil and serenity puffs. That made me feel comfortable buying them elsewhere because WholeFoods sold them. Anywho, I appreciate your hard work keeping everyone informed about unsafe food brands and unsafe food utensils/containers etc!

    Reply

  46. Could you please get the Ava Jane COLIMA salt tested? Their web site has the testing report, if you can see the levels are acceptable. Apparently they claim it’s the cleanest salt. Appreciate all your support very much. Warm Regards, Sabiha

    Reply

  48. Thanks so much for this eye opening article. Because of this I reached out to Otto’s Naturals where I’ve been buying our cassava flour as I got so worried since I’ve been baking with this flour for years and giving it to my kids who already has several issues. They sent me a chemical test report from a lab that they use. Would it be possible for me to send that report to you so you can have a look at it? I don’t know if I’m reading it correctly. Or to trust it at all. I’m not sure how to attach the report here…
    Thanks so much!
    Catherine

    Reply

    1. Yes – please send it to me. TamaraRubin at mac dot com. Please also get Blood Lead Level tests for your children immediately. Tell your pediatrician you suspect a potential exposure.
      T

      Reply

  49. Thank you so much for your prompt response. I am so thankful a came across your article. It’s so disheartening to learn that you’re feeding your family contaminated food while all this time I thought I was giving them “clean” home made food. Now I also have to look into other flours that I use that’s supposed to be “healthier” for you. I suspect that the same will be the issue with arrowroot flours. I will reach out to Anthony’s Goods next.

    Best,
    Catherine

    Reply

  50. Thank you for this. I had actually been avoiding cassava as well as rice due to heavy metals but since corn had been giving me a stomach ache due to potential gluten contamination I had been eating cassava the last week. I noticed that my nervous system felt *wrong* and buzzy after consuming foods with cassava, also as well as consuming chocolate. Its almost like our bodies know when we are being poisoned. I am wondering how bad tapioca starch is? Since this is made from cassava? I will probably be on the safe side and avoid this as well. Honestly, I think we are going to avoid ALL processed foods, its just one thing after another with heavy metals and PFAS and plastic contamination.

    Reply

  52. Have you looked into the lovebird brand cereal at all? I thought I finally found a good product. It’s literally the only cereal I’ve found without crap like natural flavors in it. And my kid loves it. Now I’m seeing that cassava is harmful. That’s the main ingredient. I’m wondering if you have tested that cereal?

    Reply

  53. This is so frustrating. Back in February I had my son’s blood work done because he wouldn’t eat hardly and wasn’t growing so we knew there was an issue. He had 6 of top 9 allergies so we went paleo again sans the eggs. His BLL was 1.9 which was concerning to me but he eats a lot of garlic so I figured he’d detox. We’ve been eating a lot of cassava flour products and giving my son (he’s 2 by the way) the serenity kids pumpkin puffs. I feel beyond guilty giving him these. Plus, tons of paleo recipes use arrowroot. ‍♀️ I’m glad I know better now.

    Reply

    2. Please don’t feel bad. I gave my kids a lot of things I know now are bad too, and I have always been almost all organic with them. What is the deal with arrowroot? Is it all starches that are bad? Just ordered some potato starch and wondering if this is sketchy! I returned my tapioca because its made from cassava. Not sure the health food store was impressed with me returning all of my siete products, tapioca flour and balsamic vinegar. shrug.

      Reply

  54. Wow, thank you so much for all of this information! I just found your Instagram a few weeks ago so all of this is new to me! I had never considered lead in my food before! My 16 year old son loves the siete tortilla chips and would eat a whole bag. He hasn’t since I found you a few weeks ago. Should I test him.

    Also, we had been using Stanley cups and the bottom of one fell off and we still used it for a few weeks. Put it in the dishwasher with everything else. I didn’t know the potential harm. That was a few months ago.

    Have you considered testing products from just ingredients? I have so many products of theirs that have listed in their ingredients citric acid (cassava root). They sell a probiotic, electrolytes, protein powders, and a magnesium blend- all of which you blend into water. I was so happy to find these products, but now I’m worried about their safety. My 14 daughter has been using the probiotic and magnesium for months.

    Reply

    1. You should definitely get him tested (right away if possible). Read this:

      https://tamararubin.com/2024/03/dear-serenity-tamara-rubins-response-to-serenity-carrs-email-re-lead-safe-mama-llcs-findings-of-lead-cadmium-mercury-arsenic-in-her-clean-label-purity-award-puffs/

      and this

      https://tamararubin.com/2019/02/blood-lead-testing-please-get-everyone-in-the-family-tested-since-you-have-been-living-in-a-house-with-high-lead-paint/

      and this

      https://tamararubin.com/2021/07/how-quickly-after-exposure-is-lead-detectable-in-my-childs-blood-what-is-the-half-life-of-lead-in-blood-how-long-does-lead-stay-in-the-body/

      and this

      https://tamararubin.com/2017/01/what-is-the-impact-of-lead-poisoning-in-adults-including-college-age-students/

      and this

      https://tamararubin.com/2017/01/symptoms/

      and this
      https://tamararubin.com/2017/01/toxic_lead/

      and watch the film
      https://tamararubin.com/2023/01/a-link-to-my-film/

      Reply

  55. Thanks so much for this info! Do you know why cassava is so high in lead? Is it from the processing to make the flour? Or is it because the soil it grows in is often lead contaminated?

    I ask this because we eat cassava— the root itself, and we grew it last year in our yard. I buy it from our local organic farm co-op now because we don’t have a garden this year. We also don’t live in the US, and I would say a large percentage of the general population here eats cassava and cassava products on a regular basis. It’s super common, really cheap, and also very easy to grow in our climate (throw it in the ground and 9 months later there it is, food. It requires almost no maintenance here). We eat it boiled and then I “fry”’it in our air fryer, or I boil it and then use it in soups. You have to boil it to get the toxins out, though we only use the “sweet” kind, not the bitter kind. I wonder if the high levels of lead correspond with improper cooking/handling of it, or if it is from the soil it is grown in.

    Reply

    1. I don’t have the same concerns for the whole food cassava (prepared at home) – although we have not yet done testing to scientifically confirm this opinion. This is on our list of testing that we plan on doing.

      T

      Reply

  56. Thank you for doing this work! I happened to see the consumer reports announcement very randomly online. I immediatelly threw out all the serenity kids pumpkin cinnamon puffs in the trash. This is BEYOND upsetting! The clean award is how I found these products. I was warned about arsenic in rice but NOT lead in cassava. It’s wild to me these puffs somehow got an AWARD. UGH, so misleading! I give these to my kids all the time. I feel HORRIBLE! Going for a blood test tomorrow with my 1 year old now! I’m in total shock of how untrustworthy the clean label project is. SHAME ON THEM!!!!! I truly thought I was giving my kids a healthy snack becaue of the award seal. God, I am naive. 🙁

    Reply

    1. Thank you for commenting! We all expect these certifications to mean something. It’s criminal really (it’s not actually criminal, but it should be!)
      T

      Reply

  57. Definitely shocking that “clean label” and “purity” don’t mean anything. guess I have more reading to do. Have you tested tapioca flours with similar results? We tend to use a lot of gluten blended products (like bread and tortillas) that have tapioca in them and I wonder if that is a factor in some issues my kids have.

    Reply

  58. Hi! Thank you for your work on this. I am so upset to hear this! I’ve been eating cassava flour chips and feeding them to my two year old who loves chips and guacamole. Have you tested the cassava flour tortilla chips from thrive market? It is their brand. So frustrating when you think you’re making healthy choices and realize that it’s not safe to eat.

    Reply

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