Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman, the Los Angeles law firm who recently secured jury verdicts worth an estimated $2.424 billion against the agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation, Monsanto, are now honing in on the baby food manufacturing industry after filing a complaint on behalf of Plaintiffs Melissa and Lorenzo Cantabrana, who allege their young son, Noah (pictured above), was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and shows signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) after consuming baby foods.
The complaint alleges several companies knowingly sold baby foods that contain “dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals. The companies (listed below) face a possible further 800 or so lawsuits as more and more parents have come forward.
The defendant companies include:
• Nurture (Happy Family Organics and HappyBABY)
• Hain Celestial Group (Earth’s Best Organic)
• Gerber
• Walmart Inc. (Parent’s Choice)
A Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Committee on Oversight and Reform U.S. House of Representatives, concluded in February 2021 that “Baby Foods Are Tainted with Dangerous Levels of Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury.”, the full report can be viewed here.
According to Baum Hedlund, these lawsuits will show that several baby food companies knowingly manufacture and sell products that contain "staggering amounts" of toxic heavy metals. According to experts, including epidemiologists, neuroscientists and toxicologists, claim the metals found, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury, are known to be severe neurotoxins with the propensity to cause lifelong brain damage and neurodevelopmental disorders, including ASD and ADHD in children.
“We believe these companies continue to show callous disregard for the health of vulnerable young children, all in the name of maximizing profits,” says Baum Hedlund attorney for the Cantabrana family, Pedram Esfandiary. “It’s been nearly a year since this explosive report was released. One would think that efforts would be made to protect kids from the known dangers of these toxic metals, but these companies have done next to nothing; they simply don’t care. This has to change, and we are confident the litigation will compensate our clients for their injuries and protect future generations from the harmful products the defendants pander as ‘food’.”
Noah was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder ASD when he was two years and nine months old. And he shows signs of ADHD. .He is now seven years old.
As a baby and toddler, Noah consumed high amounts of baby foods manufactured by all of the defendants listed above.
“My son is facing lifelong challenges because he ate foods that we believed were safe,” says Melissa. Noah's mother. “If the labels said anything about heavy metals, I never would have fed them to Noah. Parents have a right to know what is in the foods we put on the dinner table for our kids. These companies deprived us of that right. It’s shameful and they need to be held accountable.”
You can read more about Noah's plight here.
Bob Fiddaman
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