Politics
Texas sues Gerber and Nestlé over heavy metals in baby food
PN Team • 3 weeks ago
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed suit against Gerber Products Company and parent Nestlé USA, alleging the companies deceived parents by marketing baby food as safe and rigorously tested while internal testing allegedly found elevated levels of arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury. The complaint, filed in Collin County under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, cites Gerber's own 2017-2019 data claiming 67 batches of rice flour contained more than nine times the federal arsenic limit for bottled water, with carrots and sweet potatoes also exceeding limits for cadmium and lead.
Paxton's office says Gerber issued no recall or warning and kept marketing claims of rigorous quality checks despite the findings, criticizing the company's use of a QR code rather than clear labeling to disclose results. Gerber disputes the allegations, saying its products meet FDA heavy-metal standards and undergo testing for more than 500 toxins. Paxton, a Trump-backed Senate candidate, filed the suit weeks before facing Democrat James Talarico in the midterm election.
Sources:
Sentiment
- Ken Paxton Paxton is portrayed as taking consumer-protection action against a major corporation, though the timing near his election raises some political framing.
- Food and Drug Administration Gerber cites compliance with FDA heavy-metal standards as a defense, a neutral factual reference.
- Texas Texas is portrayed positively as taking action to protect consumers via its attorney general.
- United States Senate Mentioned only as context for Paxton's Senate candidacy, a tangential reference.
- Donald Trump Mentioned only as having backed Paxton's Senate campaign, a tangential association.