Is making your own baby food safer? Study finds it won't protect kids from toxins

BOSTON -- If you think making your own baby food will protect your child from toxins, a new report finds homemade baby food contains just as many heavy metals as store-bought preparations.

A coalition of nonprofits, scientists, and donors called Healthy Babies Bright Futures, tested 288 foods designed for babies and found no evidence that those made at home were any safer from heavy metals than baby food bought in the store.  

In fact, 94% of both contained one or more toxic heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, or cadmium which could potentially harm the developing brain. 

They say some rice-based foods like crisped rice cereal, brown rice, rice puffs, and rice cakes were so contaminated they should be avoided.  

Some foods like bananas, apples, beans, peas, milk, and cheese had very little contamination and can be eaten freely. 

Others, like peanut butter, fruit juice, and oatmeal fell somewhere in the middle and should be offered only rarely.  

Pediatricians, in general, say offering a wide variety of foods will reduce the potential exposure to toxins while providing the most nutrients to your child.