The Texas Attorney General announced an agreement with baby food manufacturer Plum Organics to test for dangerous heavy metals and publicly disclose testing results, making Plum the first baby food maker to enter into such an agreement.
The settlement requires Plum to adopt testing standards based on FDA guidance for lead and, in the absence of FDA action levels, adopt European Union guidance for cadmium and inorganic arsenic. Plum will also adopt an internal standard of 10 parts per billion for mercury and will not ship products from a lot that exceeds these standards.
Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into baby food manufacturers in August 2025 after concerns that companies had adopted internal standards allowing dangerous levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury in their products. While small amounts of these metals occur naturally in fruits and vegetables, larger amounts pose serious health risks to infants and young children, including potential harm to neurological development.
Plum will continue publishing applicable heavy metal testing results on its website for baby food products marketed, distributed or sold in Texas, with results searchable by UPC code, lot number and best-by date. Paxton said the agreement sets a new standard and called on other manufacturers including Gerber to follow Plum's lead. The investigation into the baby food industry remains ongoing.