The House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Committee on Oversight and Reform published a report on baby foods produced by the seven largest baby food companies in the US, finding that they are “tainted with significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.” Plum was not one of the manufacturers who cooperated: It would not give the Subcommittee its internal documents and findings on heavy metals in its baby foods, the complaint says, “leaving the Subcommittee gravely concerned about Plum’s lack of transparency.”
The class for this action is all persons in California who bought Plum Organics’s baby foods for household or business use during the applicable statute of limitations and who have not yet received a refund or credit for their purchases. For a detailed list of the products involved, see pages 3-8 of the complaint linked below.
However, an organization called Happy Babies Bright Futures, which is an alliance of nonprofits, scientists, and donors who hope to reduce babies’ exposure to toxic substances, tested baby foods previous to that. It produced its report in October 2019, and that report found that several of Plum’s products contained levels of heavy metals.
The complaint alleges, “Plum makes various representations about its Products, including that they are organic, non-GMO, and contain ‘no added preservatives or artificial flavors.’”
Furthermore, “Plum claims on its website that it is confident in the safety and quality of its products, and its top priority is to serve children healthy, nutritious foods made from the best ingredients. Plum promises that it is committed to minimizing environmental contaminants including heavy metals within its products, an assures [the public] its products are safe to eat.”
The complaint alleges that Plum’s marketing was “deceptive, misleading, unfair and false” toward consumers: “Plum failed to disclose that the products contain or may contain any level of heavy metals or other undesirable toxins or contaminants.” It claims, “As a result of Plum’s omissions, a reasonable consumer would have no reason to suspect the presence of heavy metals in the Products without conducting his or her own tests or relying on tests conducted by a third party.”
According to the complaint, “The Healthy Babies Bright Futures Report revealed that Plum’s Little Teethers Multigrain Wafers (Banana and Pumpkin) contained 49.9 ppb of arsenic, 1.4 ppb of lead, 6.3 ppb of cadmium, and .726 ppb of mercury.”
Plum was one of the companies that did not cooperate with the Subcommittee in its investigation. The complaint says, “Plum seemed to only have provided a spreadsheet self-declaring that all of its products ‘meet criteria.’”
The non-cooperation of the companies, the complaint says, was a matter of concern: “The Subcommittee is greatly concerned that these companies may be obscuring the presence of even higher levels of toxic heavy metals in their baby food products than in their competitors’ products.”
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Plum Organics Baby Food and Heavy Metals California Complaint
April 12, 2021
The House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Committee on Oversight and Reform published a report on baby foods produced by the seven largest baby food companies in the US, finding that they are “tainted with significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.” Plum was not one of the manufacturers who cooperated: It would not give the Subcommittee its internal documents and findings on heavy metals in its baby foods, the complaint says, “leaving the Subcommittee gravely concerned about Plum’s lack of transparency.”
Plum Organics Baby Food and Heavy Metals California ComplaintCase Event History
Plum Organics Baby Food and Heavy Metals California Complaint
April 12, 2021
The House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy, Committee on Oversight and Reform published a report on baby foods produced by the seven largest baby food companies in the US, finding that they are “tainted with significant levels of toxic heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.” Plum was not one of the manufacturers who cooperated: It would not give the Subcommittee its internal documents and findings on heavy metals in its baby foods, the complaint says, “leaving the Subcommittee gravely concerned about Plum’s lack of transparency.”
Plum Organics Baby Food and Heavy Metals California Complaint