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Why Baby Rice Snacks Test Higher for Arsenic Than Purées: What Consumer Reports Found in 2026
The short answer
Baby snacks such as rice rusks, teething wafers and puffs measured more inorganic arsenic per gram than purées in Consumer Reports' 2026 tests, mainly because many are rice- or grain-based [1]. Rice takes up arsenic from flooded soil and water more readily than other cereals [3]. Small serving sizes kept most snacks below CR's level of concern, but repeated snacking adds up [1][5], and FDA has no arsenic limit for these snacks yet [4][6].
Consumer Reports (CR) published its latest baby-food contaminant tests on September 17, 2026: 48 store-bought products from 11 brands, tested for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, among other contaminants [1]. The headline was good news, with 96 percent of products below CR's level of concern for heavy metals [1]. The same project also measured microplastics in a purée subset — covered in our CR microplastics explainer. One pattern stood out, though, and it is the one parents ask us about most: snacks.
This explainer walks through the snack numbers in CR's published results table [2], why rice keeps showing up, and what "higher" does and does not mean for a baby who eats a few puffs a day. We have not estimated or rounded any lab value; every figure below is copied from the cited source.
Do baby puffs and teething wafers really have more arsenic than purées?
Yes, per gram they generally do. CR's lead scientist on the project said that "in general, higher levels of inorganic arsenic, cadmium, and lead were found in baby food snacks, such as puffs, melties, biscuits, rice rusks, and bars, than they were in purées of any type" [1].
The results table makes the gap concrete [2]. In every fruit and vegetable purée CR tested, inorganic arsenic was 5.91 ppb or lower. Several snacks were roughly five to ten times higher:
| Product (CR 2026) | Type | Labeled serving | Inorganic arsenic (ppb) | Inorganic arsenic per serving (mcg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baby Mum-Mum Gentle Teething Wafers, Banana | Snack | 8 g | 56.5 | 0.45 |
| Parent's Choice 2nd Stage Organic Banana Rice Rusks (Walmart) | Snack | 8 g | 54.5 | 0.4 |
| Baby Mum-Mum Gentle Teething Wafers, Vegetable | Snack | 8 g | 50.6 | 0.4 |
| Happy Baby Organic Teether Crackers, Mango & Pumpkin with Amaranth | Snack | 8 g | 31.9 | 0.255 |
| Good & Gather Baby Organic Puffs, Apple & Strawberry (Target) | Snack | 7 g | 19.6 | 0.1 |
| Earth's Best Organic Veggie Puffs, Original | Snack | 7 g | 14.3 | 0.1 |
| Gerber Crawler Puffs, Strawberry Apple | Snack | 7 g | 12.4 | 0.1 |
| Gerber Rice Cereal | Cereal | 15 g | 63.0 | 0.9 |
| Earth's Best Organic Apple Sweet Potato | Purée | 99 g | 5.91 | 0.58 |
| Good & Gather Baby Banana, Peach & Apricot purée (Target) | Purée | 113 g | 5.68 | 0.64 |
| Parent's Choice Stage 1 Carrot Puree (Walmart) | Purée | 113 g | 1.03 | 0.12 |
Source: CR 2026 baby food test results table [2]. ppb = parts per billion (µg/kg).
Not every snack was high. Gerber Crawler Yogurt Melts, Little Spoon Organic Meltable Baby Puffs and Happy Baby Organic Yogis had no detectable inorganic arsenic in CR's table [2]. "Snack" is a format, not a verdict; the main ingredient matters.
Why does rice carry more inorganic arsenic than other grains?
Rice absorbs arsenic from its growing environment more efficiently than most crops. In its infant rice cereal guidance, FDA explains that rice "tends to have higher arsenic concentrations than other cereal crops (such as wheat and barley), because of its ability to take up arsenic from soil and water and because it is typically grown under flooded conditions" [3].
FDA also notes that rice and rice-based foods "have higher levels of inorganic arsenic than do other foods tested by FDA," and that rice is a bigger potential source for infants than adults because babies' diets are less varied and they eat more food relative to body weight [3]. CR draws the same link for snacks: packaged snacks "are often rice- or grain-based, which can tend to harbor more heavy metals based on their growing conditions" [1].
Inorganic arsenic is the form that matters most. FDA describes inorganic arsenic as "generally considered more toxic than organic arsenic" [3], which is why CR's table reports it separately from total arsenic [2].
If the ppb is higher, why were most snacks still below CR's level of concern?
Because CR judges exposure per serving, not concentration alone. CR estimates how much of each contaminant a child under 2 could consume "from one serving of the products tested" and compares that with the most health-protective regulatory limits it can find [1].
That is why a light snack can look alarming in ppb and still sit below the line. In the table above, an 8 g serving of Baby Mum-Mum Banana wafers delivered 0.45 mcg of inorganic arsenic, while a 113 g pouch of the Good & Gather Banana, Peach & Apricot purée delivered 0.64 mcg, even though the purée's concentration was about one-tenth of the wafer's [2]. CR flagged that purée, not the wafers, as above its level of concern [1]. Both Baby Mum-Mum teething-biscuit varieties were below CR's level of concern for heavy metals in 2026, which CR called "a positive change since our tests in 2018 and 2023" [1].
Gerber Rice Cereal is the exception that combines both: 63 ppb inorganic arsenic and a 15 g serving, which at one serving per day exceeded CR's level of concern [1][2].
Why do servings matter more for snacks than for purées?
Snacks are easy to give several times a day, and labeled servings are small. In its 2023 report, CR noted that its daily limit for Baby Mum-Mum Banana Teething Wafers at the time was less than 2 servings a day, "but 5 percent of kids eat 3.5 servings of this kind of food daily," based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data [5].
The same report described Happy Baby's former Organic Superfood Puffs as having a daily limit of "around 75 puffs," with each puff "only about the size of a Cheerio" [5]. CR's experts also called those results "no reason to panic," because the risk comes from repeated exposure over long periods, not from eating a food once or even several times [5].
The practical reading: a single rice rusk is not the issue. A routine where rice cereal at breakfast, rice puffs mid-morning and a rice-based teether in the afternoon stack up every day is what drives exposure.
Does FDA set an arsenic limit for baby puffs and teething snacks?
No, not yet. FDA's only finalized arsenic action level for baby foods is 100 ppb inorganic arsenic in infant rice cereals, which is nonbinding guidance finalized in August 2020 [3]. FDA's Closer to Zero page lists inorganic arsenic in processed food for babies and young children as targeted for draft guidance in 2027 [6].
Snacks also sit outside the newer metal limits. FDA's October 2026 draft cadmium guidance states that it does not include "snack foods, including grain-based or freeze-dried snacks," and that FDA "is continuing to collect additional data on grain-based snacks" [4]. We cover those cadmium numbers in our explainer on FDA's draft cadmium limits.
Are non-rice puffs automatically safer?
Not automatically. Switching the starch can lower arsenic, but other metals can rise. In 2024, CR tested cassava- and sorghum-based puffs and found that "some manufacturers now make puffs with other starches as the main ingredient" partly because rice snacks can be high in arsenic [7]. Two Lesser Evil cassava products and one Serenity Kids product had concerning lead levels, while sorghum snacks from Once Upon a Farm had "among the least" [7].
CR's 2026 advice for cereals is similar in spirit: look for first-food infant cereals made from "bulgur, oats, sorghum, quinoa, or wheat" rather than rice [1]. For snacks, check the first ingredient and then check the brand's own test results (see below), rather than assuming a "rice-free" label settles it.
How can I check the arsenic level in a specific snack?
Look up the brand's California AB 899 disclosure. Since the start of 2025, baby food makers selling in California have had to make arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury test results publicly available on their websites, and CR notes the law covers "baby food, snacks, and supplements for children under 2" [8]. Some brands post everything publicly; others require a lot code from the package [8][9].
Our guide to reading AB 899 public results versus lot-code lookups explains how to find and interpret those pages. For how we weigh disclosure quality in our rankings, see our methodology; brand-level notes are on pages such as Earth's Best Organic, Gerber and Once Upon a Farm.
What CR's results do not tell you
CR's results are a snapshot of the lots it bought, not a compliance test. CR notes its methodology "means no legal judgments can be made" about whether a product meets any legal limit, and that it assumes the labeled serving size [1]. Results can change lot to lot, and CR saw several products improve between 2023 and 2026 [1].
None of this is a reason to panic or to drop snacks entirely. CR is "not recommending avoiding any of the foods we tested," but suggests how often to serve some of them [1]. This article is for information only and is not medical advice. If your baby has specific dietary needs, talk to your pediatrician before changing their diet.
FAQ
Are organic rice snacks lower in arsenic?
Not reliably. In CR's 2026 table, organic rice-based snacks such as Parent's Choice Organic Banana Rice Rusks still measured 54.5 ppb inorganic arsenic [2]. Arsenic comes from soil and water, which organic certification does not control [3].
Is homemade rice cereal or rice puffs a safer option?
Homemade does not mean metal-free. CR notes that homemade baby food "is not necessarily free from heavy metals" because the ingredients come from the same soil and water [1]. Variety across grains matters more than who makes it.
How many puffs a day is too many?
There is no single safe number for every product. CR's limits are product-specific and based on labeled servings [1][5]. Rotating snacks and grains, rather than serving the same rice-based snack several times a day, is the consistent expert advice [1].
Do teething wafers still have high arsenic in 2026?
Concentrations are still higher than in purées, but CR found both Baby Mum-Mum teething-biscuit varieties below its level of concern for heavy metals in 2026, an improvement over its 2018 and 2023 tests [1][2].
References
- Consumer Reports, We Tested 48 Baby Foods for Heavy Metals and Microplastics (Sep 17, 2026).
- Consumer Reports, Contaminants in Baby Food Test Results (PDF, 2026).
- U.S. FDA, Guidance for Industry: Inorganic Arsenic in Rice Cereals for Infants: Action Level (Aug 2020).
- U.S. FDA, Action Levels for Cadmium in Processed Food Intended for Babies and Young Children; Draft Guidance for Industry (Oct 2026).
- Consumer Reports, Are There Still Heavy Metals in Baby Food? (Jun 27, 2023).
- U.S. FDA, Closer to Zero: Reducing Childhood Exposure to Heavy Metals from Foods.
- Consumer Reports, Lesser Evil, Serenity Kids Cassava Puffs Contain High Lead Levels (Jun 5, 2024).
- Consumer Reports, Best Baby Food Brands for Reporting Heavy Metals: California AB 899 (updated Sep 24, 2026).
- Unleaded Kids, Lead in Baby Food: Transparency Update on 39 Baby Food Brands (updated Mar 14, 2026).