Building a Better World, Together

What’s at stake: Getting children to eat their vegetables is notoriously difficult. So some parents turn to veggie puffs, a popular kind of snack that contains ingredients like carrots and beets. One manufacturer says its puffs will make kids “actually get excited” about vegetables.

The main ingredient in some of these products is cassava, a starchy root that appeals to some families trying to avoid grains such as rice. Unfortunately, some cassava-based products contain high levels of lead—a concern brought to CR’s attention by Tamara Rubin, the owner of Lead Safe Mama, a company focused on preventing lead poisoning.

What CR is doing about it: We decided to test four cassava puff products—two made by LesserEvil and two by Serenity Kids. The results were alarming: Both LesserEvil products and one Serenity Kids product contained concerning amounts of lead. LesserEvil’s Lil’ Puffs Intergalactic Voyager Veggie Blend puffs had more lead per serving than any of the 80 baby foods CR has tested since 2017.

CR quickly launched a petition calling on the Food and Drug Administration to set limits on lead in food for young children. The FDA has since assured CR of its commitment to removing products with high levels of lead from the marketplace. And on June 13, LesserEvil said it would phase out the use of cassava flour in its Lil’ Puffs line of products.

What you can do: Learn more about CR’s cassava testing and how to keep your children safe from the dangers of heavy metals in food.