Our Safety Standards & Heavy Metals Testing

At Nurture Life, the safety and quality of our products are our number one priority for both us and the families we serve. That’s why we hold ourselves to testing standards higher than what are set for food companies in the United States. We are regularly testing our baby food products for heavy metals and pesticide residues to ensure your child’s safety while delivering the balanced nutrition their growing bodies need. Our food’s test results must meet Nurture Life’s strict standards or we will not sell these products. Please see below for the details on our testing standards and methods.

Heavy Metals Testing

• We send all of our Finger Food meals to a third-party certified lab to test for heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury.
• Why do we test for heavy metals? Cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and lead are metals that naturally occur in the earth’s crust, soil, water, and air. However, their concentrations have significantly increased due to improper waste disposal, agricultural runoff, and industrial emissions, leading to a rise in environmental and food supply contamination. Exposure to these toxic metals, especially in high amounts, can disrupt development, particularly during early childhood. Reducing exposure requires knowing the source of ingredients, understanding processing methods, and rigorously testing the final product. We adhere to the European Union (EU) safety thresholds for heavy metals and are committed to ensuring all of our Finger Foods meet those standards. We choose to follow the EU regulations because they provide lower maximum allowable limits for contaminants and are a higher standard than what is currently required in the United States.
• Test results are updated here monthly. We are committed to full customer transparency, which is why we are adding a QR code on the packaging of all our Finger Food products that links directly to live testing results.

	Arsenic	Lead	Mercury	Cadmium
Standard PPB = parts per billion	<20PPB*	<20PPB	<10PPB	<40PPB
Frittata & Flapjacks with Sweet Potatoes & Bacon	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Greek Meatball Bites with Broccoli & Orzo	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Beef Meatloaf with Broccoli & Squash	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Chicken Meatballs with Mini Pasta	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Mac & Cheese with Peas	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Shepherd’s Pie with Rainbow Veggie Medley	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Mini Shell Bolognese with Carrots	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Mini White Mac with Hidden Cauli & Broccoli	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Spaghetti Bites with Meatballs & Broccoli	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Alfredo Mini Pasta with Turkey Meatballs & Broccoli	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Cheeseburger Mini Mac with Broccoli	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Scrambled Eggs with Sausage & Sweet Potatoes	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Lil’ Carbonara with Hidden Cauli & Peas	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Lil’ Chicken Parm with Peas	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Lil’ Meatballs & Mac with Green Beans	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Turkey Meatloaf with Peas & Potatoes	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Roasted Chicken with Broccoli & Potato Medley	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Swedish Meatball Bites with Mini Pasta & Green Beans	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Salmon Cakes with Peas & Potatoes	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Lil’ Pot Roast with Green Beans & Potatoes	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓
Chicken Noodle Stew with Carrots, Peas & Potatoes	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓	passed ✓

*Results reflect total arsenic concentration (organic and inorganic).  Standard of <20PPB is for inorganic arsenic only.

Pesticide Residue Testing

• Fewer toxins in the soil where produce is grown means fewer toxins in the food. We prioritize use of organic produce in all of our menu items, but since it can be difficult to consistently source organic ingredients in the quantities we need, we are not 100% organic. We only partner with purveyors who share our values—working with farmers and food producers who regularly test their produce to ensure strict compliance to USDA and EPA guidelines for pesticide residue.
• In addition, we test all our non-organic produce along with all flavors of Oaties for over 100 pesticide residues to ensure non-detectable amounts according to USDA National Organic Program (NOP) standards.
• Finished goods test results must fall at or below Nurture Life’s limits (non-detectable) or we will not sell these products.

Our Never Evers

The ingredients on this list are commonly used in processed foods to enhance flavor, color, texture or shelf life, but the latest scientific research has called their safety into question. Since our meals are freshly made and focused on real nutrition, we never use them!

• Synthetic Nitrates/Nitrites (Sodium or Potassium Nitrate/Nitrite)
• Potassium Bromate
• High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
• Partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats)
• Brominated vegetable oil
• Propylparaben
• Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
• Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
• Propyl Gallate
• Theobromine
• Artificial Flavors
• Synthetic Colors (F, D & C)
• Diacetyl
• Bisphenol-A (BPA)
• Carrageenan