The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed new limits on cadmium, a toxic heavy metal that can accumulate in the body, in packaged foods intended for babies and children younger than two. The proposal covers products distributed throughout the United States, including the Virgin Islands, and establishes recommended levels for infant cereals, fruit and vegetable purees, meats and dairy-based baby foods.
The agency announced the proposal on Thursday, October 22, with formal notice published in the Federal Register the following day. The draft guidance is part of the FDA's Closer to Zero initiative, which seeks to reduce children's exposure to heavy metals in food, including arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury.
Under the proposal, manufacturers would be encouraged to keep cadmium concentrations below specified levels that vary according to the type of food. The recommendations are not yet final or legally binding, and the FDA has not ordered any recalls or identified particular baby-food brands as unsafe under the proposal.
Proposed Limits Vary by Food Category
The FDA is proposing a cadmium action level of 10 parts per billion for processed fruits, vegetables and mixed baby foods, including products containing grains or meats. Single-ingredient carrot products would have a higher recommended level of 25 parts per billion, while dry infant cereals would be subject to a proposed level of 45 parts per billion.
For yogurts, puddings and custards marketed to babies and young children, the proposed level is 20 parts per billion. Single-ingredient meat products would have a recommended level of 25 parts per billion.
A part per billion is a measurement used to identify extremely small concentrations of a substance. The proposed action levels represent concentrations at which the FDA may consider a product adulterated under federal food-safety law, taking into account testing results and other relevant factors.
The agency explained that different thresholds are necessary because some crops absorb more cadmium from their growing environments than others. Carrots, for example, can absorb cadmium more readily from soil, making a limit of 10 parts per billion considerably more difficult for manufacturers to achieve.
According to the FDA's analysis, approximately 84 percent of the single-ingredient carrot samples it evaluated already met the proposed 25-parts-per-billion level. The agency estimated that a stricter limit could reduce the availability of carrot-based baby foods without providing sufficient additional benefits.
For other processed fruits, vegetables and mixed foods, approximately 93 percent of samples met the proposed 10-parts-per-billion threshold, while 98 percent of dry infant cereal samples met the proposed 45-parts-per-billion level.
FDA Warns of Risks From Prolonged Exposure
Cadmium occurs naturally in the earth's crust but can also enter soil and water through pollution, industrial activity and certain agricultural practices. Crops grown in affected environments can absorb the metal, which may subsequently be present in processed foods.
The FDA says prolonged dietary exposure to cadmium can cause adverse effects on the kidneys and bones. The metal is eliminated from the body slowly, allowing exposure over time to contribute to its accumulation.
Babies and young children are particularly susceptible to contaminants because of their smaller body sizes and developing bodies. Although low-level exposure to cadmium is common and generally not harmful, the agency is seeking to further reduce the amounts children consume through their diets.
Federal researchers examined cadmium measurements collected in processed baby foods between fiscal years 2009 and 2024 to develop the proposed thresholds. The agency also evaluated how much of those foods children typically consume and whether manufacturers could reasonably meet the recommended levels.
Based on that analysis, the FDA estimates that applying the proposed thresholds could reduce cadmium exposure from processed fruits, vegetables and mixed foods by approximately 28 percent among children at the 90th percentile of consumption. For single-ingredient carrots, the estimated reduction is 32 percent, while the corresponding reduction for dry infant cereals is 5 percent.
Those figures are projections based on federal food-testing and consumption data, not measured reductions that have already occurred. For yogurts, puddings, custards and single-ingredient meats, the agency found cadmium concentrations were already sufficiently low that the proposed thresholds would not produce measurable reductions under its analysis.
What the Proposal Means for Virgin Islands Consumers
The recommendations address processed foods marketed for babies and young children, including products packaged in jars, pouches, tubs and boxes that are distributed through the national food supply and sold in Virgin Islands grocery stores.
The guidance does not cover infant formula, beverages, fresh agricultural products, homemade foods or certain packaged snack foods. The FDA says it is continuing to collect information on grain-based snacks to determine whether additional action levels are appropriate.
The proposal does not establish that baby foods currently sold in the Virgin Islands contain unsafe amounts of cadmium. No territory-specific testing results or product violations were identified in the federal announcement.
The FDA has also advised parents and caregivers to continue providing children with varied, nutrient-dense diets that include fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and proteins. Its recommended action levels are intended to guide manufacturers in reducing contaminants rather than direct families to eliminate particular foods.
The new proposal follows earlier federal efforts to reduce toxic metals in children's food. In January 2025, the FDA finalized recommended action levels for lead in processed foods intended for babies and young children, while existing guidance addresses inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereal.
Alongside the cadmium proposal, the agency released additional draft guidance explaining how food manufacturers can identify and control chemical hazards, including contamination from heavy metals. The recommendations address preventive measures such as ingredient sourcing, testing and manufacturing controls.
The FDA is accepting public comments on the proposed cadmium action levels through December 22, 2026, under docket number FDA-2025-D-4023. The agency will review comments before issuing final guidance.
