How We Ensure Quality at Every Step

How We Ensure Quality at Every Step

At Happy Family Organics, we are on a mission to change the trajectory of children’s health through nutrition. We are proud to be a leader in the baby food industry, with among the strictest quality & safety standards in the U.S, led by our passionate team of quality & food safety experts (and parents too).

A Balanced Diet for Growth

Babies need nutrition provided by grains, fruits and veggies as part of a balanced diet to develop and grow, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a variety of foods be provided to babies. Trace amounts of heavy metals are present in the environment, including in the soil, air, and water where these types of crops are grown. As a result, small amounts of heavy metals cannot be completely avoided in these wholesome ingredients that are the basis of baby foods.

Science-based Standards

We fully support the FDA’s “Closer to Zero Action Plan,” which aims to develop science-based federal standards to reduce heavy metals in young children’s food and are committed to working with the agency to tackle this initiative. Learn more about the FDA’s guidance on the safety of baby food and what is being done to improve the quality of the food supply. Additionally, you can find the most recent FDA guidance on lead and information about potential health effects at Guidance for Industry: Action Levels for Lead in Food Intended for Babies and Young Children.

Questions? We've got you covered.

Is Happy Family baby food safe?

We can say with confidence that all Happy Family Organics products are safe for little ones to enjoy and that we’re proud to feed our own children our products every day. As a team of parents, pediatricians, food scientists and nutritionists, nothing is more important than the quality and safety of our products. We hold ourselves to one of the highest standards across our industry – every single lot of finished product we sell is subject to extensive quality and safety tests from third-party accredited laboratories, including testing for heavy metals.

We remain dedicated to being a leader in the industry in best practices, while also sharing the facts around heavy metals. Trace levels of heavy metals are present in the air, water and soil in which crops are grown. As a result, extremely small, trace amounts cannot be completely avoided in ingredients like leafy greens, root vegetables, and grains which are the basis of foods that babies (and all age groups) need to grow healthy and strong, whether in packaged foods or homemade. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises parents that homemade baby food is not likely to reduce exposure to heavy metals, as these foods are subject to the same trace levels present in the ingredients used.

The reduction of heavy metals in the food supply is a complicated process, and Happy Family is proud of our efforts over the years to reduce the levels of heavy metals in our products while still providing nutrient-dense organic foods to babies.

As expert organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have shared, caregivers can help little ones get the nutrition they need, while also balancing the realities of the environment by offering a variety of foods within each food group (e.g., root vegetables like potatoes and carrots in addition to vegetables grown above ground like kale, spinach, and broccoli). The AAP also has advised parents to feed infants and toddlers a variety of grains as part of a well-balanced diet. Consistent with the AAP, the FDA recommends that parents not throw out packaged baby foods or stop feeding their babies and children certain foods.

How and why do heavy metals wind up in our foods?

Trace amounts of minerals and metals like arsenic and lead can be found naturally in the environment, including in water and soil. In turn, small amounts can be present in wholesome ingredients like leafy greens, grains, fruits, and vegetables. Nutrient-dense foods like spinach or carrots, for example, contain a higher density of metals such as lead and cadmium when compared with a less nutrient-dense food like white potato. Many everyday foods would contain trace amounts of these elements—whether they are prepared at home or sold as packaged food.

Happy Family does not add these elements to its products, nor can they be extracted from ingredients. Babies need nutrition contained in grains, fruits and veggies as part of a balanced diet to develop and grow, and the FDA recommends a variety of foods be provided to babies. Learn more about the FDA’s guidance on the safety of baby food and what’s being done to improve the quality of the food supply.

What quality and safety protocols do you have in place?

We are proud to lead the industry in standards and quality processes, through:

We continue to strengthen and grow our knowledge around practices that can help to mitigate the risk of contaminants using the most thorough methods in the industry. We will continue to ensure that the food we create is safe for little ones to consume, as we remain committed to continuous improvement.

Is processed food at more risk for contaminants than fresh food?

No, processed food is not more at risk for contaminants than fresh foods. Trace amounts of heavy metals are present in the environment, including in the soil, air, and water where these types of crops are grown. As a result, small amounts of heavy metals cannot be completely avoided in these wholesome ingredients, whether fresh or processed, that are the basis of baby foods. Babies need nutrition provided by grains, fruits and veggies as part of a balanced diet to develop and grow, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a variety of foods be provided to babies.