Consumer Reports on Infant Formulas: Are They Really Contaminated, and is this Cause for Concern?
Posted:
2025-11-06
What's happening?
Consumer Reports, an American organization, recently published a report on contaminants (e.g. arsenic and lead) that may be found in infant formulas (1). The PEN Team asked: what were the findings, and are they relevant to individuals living outside the United States of America (USA)?
What were the findings?
In March 2025, Consumer Reports published the results of their independent investigation into toxic chemicals (including arsenic, lead, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), bisphenol A (BPA), acrylamide) in 41 powdered infant formulas (1). When the expert panel measured the amounts of contaminants found in infant formulas against American safety standards, about half of the infant formulas sold in the USA exceeded the maximum safe limits (1).
Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not state maximum allowable amounts of arsenic, lead, PFAS, BPA or acrylamide in infant formula, although it does regulate allowable amounts in other types of food (1). This means that there is no national benchmark for companies to test their products against. Part of the reason for this is that scientifically, there is no safe proven intake level of some of the chemicals that were evaluated (1). Without a clear, numerical benchmark from regulators, there is room for interpretation of whether a formula has “too many” toxic chemicals or not. Despite these difficulties, the day after the Consumer Report was published, the FDA announced that they would increase their oversight of the infant formula industry and improve testing for contaminants in infant formulas (1).
One thing noted by all the experts interviewed for the Consumer Reports article that may (or may not) help reassure parents: some contaminants, such as lead, are all but impossible to remove completely from any food or beverage. These toxins can occur due to contamination during the manufacturing process as well as environmental pollution, which can be difficult to remove from the end product. Even human/breastmilk contains low levels of some of these contaminants (1). The goal is to remove as many contaminants from food as possible during manufacturing and processing to ensure that, even if contaminants are present, they are present in trace or insignificant amounts (1).
Whether Consumer Reports’ results are good or bad depends on your perspective: half of the formulas tested in the USA had higher-than-desirable levels of contaminants, but half did not. As the team at Consumer Reports stated, “there are many good options on the market” (1). Still, it can be worrying to imagine that an American consumer has as good a chance of choosing an infant formula with potentially harmful contaminants than as not. Given this, the PEN Team wondered: are these results applicable to markets in other countries, too?
Canadian standards and data
Health Canada has set the maximum allowable level of lead in infant formula to be 0.01 ppm (2). Health Canada has not set a maximum allowable level of acrylamide in infant formula, although one 2009 Health Canada assessment found very low (<10 ug/kg) levels of acrylamide in infant formula and did not deem this exposure to be high risk (3). Health Canada does not state maximum allowable limits of arsenic, PFAS or BPA in infant formula, although it has set standards for allowable amounts of these contaminants in other types of food and drinking water (2,4). The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regularly monitors levels of contaminants in foods targeted to infants, including infant formulas, and has previously published annual data on the topic (5). The most recent publication includes data collected in 2022 (5). The CFIA sampled a variety of foods sold for infants and children, including 34 infant formulas. Their analysis tested for: pesticides, veterinary drugs, aflatoxin M1, and heavy metals (aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury). Overall, although trace amounts of some contaminants were found in infant formulas, the CFIA concluded that “no health risk was identified to Canadian infants and toddlers in any of the foods tested” (5).
Australian standards and data
Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) also conducts regular surveillance of contaminants in foods targeted to infants, including infant formulas (6). Its most recently published Australian Total Diet Study (TDS) findings showed that levels of PFAS (7) and arsenic (8) in infant formula were not detectable and posed no health risk. Similarly, population-level exposures of infants to agricultural and veterinary chemicals, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury were estimated to be of no concern (8). Infant formula was not found to be a major contributor to infant intake of any contaminant (8).
Bottom line
Although many infant formulas available in the USA have higher levels of some contaminants than are considered safe by many experts, this finding does not appear to translate to the Canadian or Australian markets for those chemicals that have been tested. Dietitians can support parents by counselling them that when they shop, they can feel secure in the knowledge that infant formulas sold in Canada and Australia have been evaluated and found to have trace or negligible amounts of contaminants that may pose a health risk. In addition, dietitians have an opportunity to assess and counsel parents as needed on the safe preparation of infant formulations. Refer to client resources below and your regional health authority for other related parent resources.
See Additional Content:
Client handouts:
Professional information:
PEN System - Infant Nutrition - Infant Formulas Knowledge Pathway (includes link to Powdered Infant Formula - Microbiological Issues Background)
References
Kirchner L. We Tested 41 Baby Formulas for Lead and Arsenic. Consumer Reports. Published 18 March 2025; accessed 22 September 2025. Available from: https://www.consumerreports.org/babies-kids/baby-formula/baby-formula-contaminants-test-results-a7140095293/
Health Canada. List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods. Government of Canada. Updated 19 February 2025; accessed 22 September 2025. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/chemical-contaminants/contaminants-adulterating-substances-foods.html
Health Canada. Health Canada's Revised Exposure Assessment of Acrylamide in Food. Government of Canada. Updated 24 December 2020; accessed 22 September 2025. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/chemical-contaminants/food-processing-induced-chemicals/acrylamide/revised-exposure-assessment-acrylamide.html
Health Canada. Objective for Canadian Drinking Water Quality- Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. Government of Canada. Published 9 August 2024; accessed 22 September 2025. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/objective-drinking-water-quality-per-polyfluoroalkyl-substances.html
Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Children’s Food Project - Annual Report: 2022. Government of Canada. Updated 12 August 2025; accessed 22 September 2025. Available from: https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-industry/food-chemistry-and-microbiology/testing-reports-and-journal-articles/children-food-project#app3
Food Standards Australian New Zealand. Australian Total Diet Study. Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Updated 10 December 2021; accessed 14 October 2025. Available from: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science-data/monitoring-safety/australian-total-diet-study
Food Standards Australian New Zealand. 27th Australian Total Diet Study: Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances. Food Standards Australian New Zealand. Published December 2021; accessed 14 October 2025. Available from: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/27th-ATDS.pdf
Food Standards Australian New Zealand. 25th Australian Total Diet Study. Food Standards Australian New Zealand. Published June 2019; accessed 14 October 2025. Available from: https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-11/25th-ATDS.pdf
