Plum Organics, a leading baby food company, shares a recent Consumer Reports article entitled Lead in Food: California Requires Companies to Disclose Heavy Metal Levels in Baby Food, that named the company as one of the only brands that is voluntarily making their 2024 testing results publicly available. Plum Organics photo

Plum Organics, manufacturer of baby and toddler food pouches headquartered in Fresno, has been recognized as one of the only baby food brands that is voluntarily making recent safety testing results publicly available.

Consumer Reports recognized Plum Organics in its report: “Lead In Food: California Requires Companies to Disclose Heavy Metal Levels in Baby Food.”

Effective Jan. 1, AB 899 requires baby food brands to publish the test results for heavy metals found in their products, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury.

The new law targets foods for babies and young children less than two years of age, excluding infant formula.

The California Department of Public Health did not require last year’s test results to be disclosed on brand websites, yet Plum Organics made it available, demonstrating its commitment to build trust with parents, according to a Plum Organics news release.

Alicia M. Vasquez, vice president of sales and marketing at Plum Organics, said the company is dedicated to providing parents and caregivers clear and easy access and timely information about their products.

“In addition to posting test results for 2025 and beyond, our team at Plum Organics chose to publish all 2024 test results to our website, for all consumers, for all products. Additionally, we focused on making access to this information easy for consumers by placing it all on our website – No lot code, purchase, or QR code required, unlike many other brands,” she said.

Plum Organics tests each batch for heavy metals against standards established to align with leading regulations and guidance, including those set by the Food and Drug Administration and the European Union.

Last summer, the company began producing pouches with AB899-compliant packaging, which employs the use of a QR Code that provides access to its heavy metal testing data.

Consumer Reports and nonprofit news organization Unleaded Kids contacted 30 baby food manufacturers, including ones certified by the Clean Label Project, to inquire about companies’ plans to disclose their test results.

At the time of the publication, Consumer Reports had received 17 responses and were currently awaiting responses from the remaining brands.

In 2021, Sun-Maid Growers of California purchased Plum Organics from Campbell Soup Co.