High Lead Levels Found in Nearly One Quarter of All Snack and Nutrition Bars Tested

Approximately 98% of all snack and nutrition bars tested positive for toxic heavy metals, which may increase risk of neurological disorders.

A new report suggests that nearly all snack and nutrition bars found in U.S. grocery stores contain some amount of toxic heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury, which may pose serious health risks, especially for developing children.

The study was released earlier this year by the Clean Label Project (PDF), a consumer advocacy nonprofit that helps promote transparency in labeling, by examining food and other consumer products for various contaminants, including heavy metals, pesticides and plastics.

Lead and many other heavy metals are known to be toxic when consumed in large amounts, potentially leading to a number of side effects, including neurological disorders, gastrointestinal issues, kidney and liver damage, as well as an increased risk of certain cancers. 

Children are especially vulnerable to toxic heavy metals, which can severely impair brain development and negatively affect overall health.

In recent years, the discovery of metal contamination in baby food products has led to similar health concerns, after testing has repeatedly found dangerous levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. These findings have led to a growing number of toxic baby food lawsuits being filed by parents of children left with autism, alleging that manufacturers prioritized profits over safety by failing to adequately test ingredients and finished products for harmful heavy metals.

In this new study, independent researchers from Ellipse Analytics, contracted by Clean Label Project, examined levels of four different heavy metals, as well as phthalates, bisphenols and pesticides in 165 different snack and nutrition bar products sold under 50 separate brand names. This sample represented approximately 85% of the U.S. market.

Using Inductively Coupled Plasma—Mass Spectroscopy (ICP – MS) tests, the researchers found that:

• 37%, or 19 of 51 organic bars were over California Prop 65 lead levels
• 37%, or 34 of 92 non-GMO bars were over Prop 65 lead levels
• 53%, or 30 of 57 dairy free organic bars were over Prop 65 lead levels
• 43%, or 23 of 53 vegan bars were over Prop 65 lead levels
• 57%, or 20 of 35 soy bars were over Prop 65 lead levels
• 32%, or 31 of 98 gluten free bars were over Prop 65 lead levels

Overall, Ellipse Analytics found that 98% of bars tested positive for lead, with 21.82% of them being over California Prop 65 levels.

California Prop 65 requires that businesses label foods that exceed Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) established levels for exposure to certain substances, including lead, which is set at 0.5 micrograms per day.

In addition to finding that the vast majority of snack and nutrition bars tested positive for lead, the Clean Label Project report also indicates that 98% were positive for cadmium, with the bottom quartile of bars containing more than three times the levels of heavy metals that the top quartile contained.

“This report, which tested 165 products from 50 of the top-selling brands—representing 85% of the market—highlights concerns that challenge the current understanding of product purity. Of the products tested, every product had detectable levels of heavy metals.”

–CLP Insights: Key Findings in Snack and Nutrition Bars

The report’s authors pointed out that many of these contaminants leach into the products through the soil they are grown in and the packaging they are sold in. They also pointed out that there are currently “no comprehensive federal regulations specifically targeting dietary exposure to heavy metals in food.”

Toxic Baby Food Lawsuits

Multiple research studies have identified the presence of toxic heavy metals in American foods, revealing that baby food products from major manufacturers, including Gerber, Beech-Nut Nutrition, Plum, Hain, Campbell, Walmart, Sprout and others.

Further testing has revealed that many of these products contain one or more harmful metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury, which have been linked to an increased risk of autism and ADHD in children.

As a result of these findings, product liability attorneys are pursuing toxic baby food poisoning lawsuits on behalf of families whose children consumed the affected brands for a year or longer and were later diagnosed with either:

• Autism, diagnosed between ages 2 and 14
• Severe ADHD, diagnosed between ages 8 and 14