Ken Paxton Reaches 'First-of-Its-Kind' Baby Food Heavy Metals Agreement

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) announced a first-of-its-kind agreement with Plum Organics requiring stricter heavy metal testing, limits, and public disclosure of testing results for baby food sold in Texas.

What does the agreement require?

The agreement legally commits Plum Organics to testing its baby food for heavy metals and following stricter standards for lead, cadmium, inorganic arsenic, and mercury.

Plum will follow FDA guidance for lead and, where the FDA has not established action levels, adopt current European Union guidance for cadmium and inorganic arsenic. The company will also establish a 10-parts-per-billion internal standard for mercury in its baby food pouches.

Plum will not ship a product lot if testing shows it exceeds the applicable standards, according to the AG's Office.

How will parents access testing results?

Plum has agreed to continue publishing applicable heavy metal testing results for covered products marketed, distributed, or sold in Texas.

Results will be searchable by UPC, lot number, and/or "best by" date. For products subject to the FDA's lead guidance, results can also be accessed through a QR code on the packaging.

The FDA has separately established action levels for lead in processed foods intended for babies and young children and continues testing for arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.

Why did Paxton investigate Plum?

Paxton launched an investigation into Plum and other major baby food manufacturers in August 2025 after issuing Civil Investigative Demands to industry companies.

The investigation followed concerns over heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury, in baby food. The FDA says these contaminants can enter food through soil, water, and air and has identified young children as particularly vulnerable to their effects.

AG Ken Paxton: "I will now allow dangerous amounts of contaminants and heavy metals in baby food. I commend Plum for agreeing to strengthen its standards and provide parents with greater transparency about what is in these products."

What happens next?

Paxton's broader investigation remains ongoing. He is calling on Gerber and other baby food manufacturers to adopt stricter testing standards and publicly disclose applicable testing results.