On April 21, the Attorney General of Washington, DC, Karl A. Racine, filed a lawsuit against Beech-Nut Nutrition Company, one of the largest baby food manufacturers for “misleading parent-consumers about the health and safety of its products.” As stated in a press release, the DC Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleged that Beech-Nut’s advertising violated the District’s consumer protection laws and misled parents that its baby food underwent the most stringent testing and was safe for babies when the food contained high levels of heavy metals. The OAG’s lawsuit seeks to stop Beech-Nut from engaging in these and similar violations, to obtain restitution damages for parent-consumers and their children, and to obtain civil penalties.

The OAG alleged that Beech-Nut violated DC’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act and harmed DC consumers by:

Misleading parents about the safety of its baby food;

Misrepresenting its testing practices; and

Falsely claiming to have high internal safety standards

As our readers know, the OAG’s lawsuit comes as a result of the congressional investigative report that found high levels of heavy metals in several brands of popular baby foods. Additionally, several baby food manufacturers have been hit with class action lawsuits that alleged consumer deception claims relating to the presence of heavy metals in baby foods. The FDA has responded with a plan, called Closer to Zero, to reduce exposure to toxic elements in baby foods.