Parents deserve to trust the food that fuels their family.
We asked 2,000 parents what mattered to them most when it came to their baby’s food.
95%
of parents said
the U.S. needs to raise its standards for baby food safety.
OUR COMMITMENT
Little Spoon is the
first and only baby food in the US to set strict limits for 500+ toxins and contaminants.
Our testing is inspired by the best-in-class European Union (EU) standard and no product is sold unless it passes testing—period. It's that simple.
Peace of mind, delivered.
We’re inspired by the EU limits for heavy metals and ensure all of our baby food meets our rigorous standards.
Arsenic
<20 ppb*
Cadmium
<40 ppb
Lead
<20 ppb
Mercury
<10 ppb*
What is PPB?
What is PPB?
PPB = parts per billion. Think of parts per billion as 1 drop of water in an Olympic sized swimming pool.
Finished goods test results must fall at or below the Little Spoon limit or we will not sell these products.
We test for total arsenic, while the EU standard is “inorganic arsenic” specific. Think: organic = naturally present vs. inorganic = chemical contaminant. If we notice anything funny on a test, our team will test again for just “inorganic arsenic” for safe measure.
*See Baby Cereal product page for details on arsenic limits. There is no EU standard set for Mercury, so we set the Little Spoon standard at <10 ppb.
We start with ingredients that are meticulously sourced from trusted partners. We test for 500+ pesticides + glyphosate for your baby's safety.
Glyphosate
<100 ppb
Pesticides
<50 ppb
What is PPB?
What is PPB?
PPB = parts per billion. Think of parts per billion as 1 drop of water in an Olympic sized swimming pool.
Finished goods test results must fall at or below the Little Spoon limit or we will not sell these products.
We even test the water we use to produce our Babyblends to ensure we are not introducing any toxins or contaminants in the process. (Yes, we are that obsessed.)
We start with BPA and BPS-free packaging. We choose to test all of our baby food for the presence of BPA and BPS to look for, well, nothing. Our expectation? No detection.
BPA
<50 ppb
BPS
<50 ppb
What is PPB?
What is PPB?
PPB = parts per billion. Think of parts per billion as 1 drop of water in an Olympic sized swimming pool.
Finished goods test results must fall at or below the Little Spoon limit or we will not sell these products.
Our commitment is the first of its kind —
— earning your trust with the greatest level of transparency available in the U.S.
Your baby deserves a world-class team.
Our advisory council includes experts on early childhood health, scientists, doctors, pediatric dietitians and nutritionists.
Bruce Lanphear
Clinician Scientist for Early Childhood Health, Raising Awareness for Little Things Matter
Jenny Best
Founder of Solid Starts
Dr. Sarah Habibi, PhD
Scientist, STEM Educator
Joe Dickson
Former Global Director of Quality Standards at Whole Foods
Dr. Krupa Playforth, MD
The Pediatrician Mom
Dr. Taylor Arnold PhD, RDN
Pediatric Dietitian
Little Spoon is truly changing the game for parents. In an industry where transparency is often elusive, this initiative redefines baby food safety and integrity. It’s rare to find any food company, let alone a baby food brand, that is this committed to accountability and earning parents' trust.
Joe Dickson
Former Global Director of Quality Standards at Whole Foods
Sourcing Approach
Our standards start at the seed—literally.
Part of our commitment to providing the cleanest, highest quality products is where we source our ingredients. It all starts with nutritious, clean soil and thoughtful agricultural practices.
Stahlbush Island Farms
Corvallis, OR
Straus Family Creamery
Petaluma, CA
Pitaya Foods
San Diego, CA
Pederson's Natural Farms
Hamilton, TX
Tillamook Cheese
Tillamook, OR
Grain Millers
Eden Prairie, MN
We know how to say “no” better than a toddler at bedtime.
These ingredients are commonly found in grocery store brands, but you'll never see them in any of our Little Spoon products—we’re junk-free.
See our 100+ banned ingredients
Toxins + Contaminants 101
We believe in facts over fear. Let's break down the facts on toxins + contaminants in the U.S. food system.
Our Mission For Parents
We’ve got you covered.
From first bites to big kid years, we’ve got best-in-class standards at every stage.
Babyblends
Biteables
Smoothies
Plates
Puffs
Baby Cereal
Lunchers + Snacks
500+ Contaminants Tested
Testing standards based on the best-in-class EU standard for heavy metals, plasticizers + pesticides and glyphosate.
Certified Organic
Our ingredients are traceable and certified organic. No synthetic preservatives + farming practices that are highly regulated.
Cold Pressure > Heavy Heat
Grocery store baby food uses high heat so it can sit on a shelf for years 🤯. We use cold water pressure to keep fresh properties like taste and texture intact while eliminating any harmful bacteria. We’re fridge fresh.
We exist for parents
like you.
We exist for
parents like you.
Our promise
We’re just getting started.
We aren’t just committed to transparency – we take seriously our role in keeping your kids healthy. Our team of food scientists, chefs, nutritionists and food safety professionals work tirelessly to meet the highest standards in the industry.
Your questions, answered.
Here to make keeping your kid healthy easy.
- At Little Spoon, we've chosen to set our standards inspired by the EU's strict safety standards for heavy metals, pesticides, glyphosate and plasticizers. Our program offers comprehensive safety guidelines that go beyond current U.S. standards, which unfortunately fail to hold any regulation for chemical contaminants in baby food.
Little Spoon tests for over 500 toxins and contaminants in our baby food, and no product is sold unless all testing limits are met. - We source certified organic ingredients for our Babyblends from trusted farmers and suppliers who adhere to sustainable and safe farming practices. Every ingredient is fully traceable to its source, ensuring transparency and accountability at every step. We rigorously test to ensure our baby food meets our strict safety standards, so you can feel confident that what you're feeding your little one is both safe and of the highest quality. You can check out many of our farm partners on Our Standards page.
- At Little Spoon, we've chosen to align our safety standards with California's Proposition 65 and the strict regulations set by the EU, which are among the toughest in the world. These regulations offer comprehensive safety guidelines that go beyond current U.S. standards. We rigorously test every batch of our products for heavy metals at certified third-party labs, we test for pesticides, glyphosate and plasticizers—and no product is sold if it fails to meet our strict standards.
Regarding the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021, it's important to note that this bill never made it out of committee. The proposed limits for heavy metals are extremely low and it is unlikely for the current U.S. farming and agricultural industry to meet such levels overnight. The Baby Food Safety Act of 2023, if passed, would require the government to establish heavy metal limits by a set deadline, but those limits wouldn't be finalized until 2027. This means we are likely still several years away from having codified regulations for heavy metals in baby food, and we don't think that's good enough.
Rather than wait for regulations to catch up, we've chosen to take matters into our own hands and approach by aligning with the EU's already established limits and California's Proposition 65, both of which are highly regarded for their strict safety measures. This way, we're already sticking to some of the toughest safety standards for baby food in the world.
Our goal is to lead the way in transparency and safety by sharing our limits and standards openly, so parents can feel confident that every batch we send out is well below the strict levels we've set for heavy metals. We've worked with top experts to develop these safety standards, and we're proud to be raising the bar for the baby food industry. - When it comes to heavy metals, we rigorously test every batch of our baby food at an accredited third-party lab to ensure they meet our strict standards. We follow the EU's guidelines by limiting lead and arsenic to 20 parts per billion (ppb)* or less and cadmium to 40 ppb or less. While the EU doesn't have a limit for mercury, we've set our own threshold at 10 ppb or less. For context, 1 part per billion (ppb) is like a single drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Although heavy metals are present in the environment both naturally and due to increased pollutants, we're committed to minimizing exposure through rigorous testing and careful sourcing.
While EU regulations don't specifically set limits for BPA migration into baby food, our lab's minimum detection levels meet the EU's general limits for BPA in food. As for BPS, the EU has not yet established any limits for its residue in food products. Little Spoon uses both BPA + BPS-free packaging. Still, we test for added peace of mind.
Our Babyblends feature only USDA certified organic ingredients, which means no ingredient is grown with synthetic pesticides and rigorous farming practices are employed. The EU has set maximum limits on most pesticides at 10 ppb. Unfortunately, U.S. agriculture lags behind the EU in banning potentially harmful synthetic pesticides, which is why our lab's minimum detection limits for pesticides are not as low at this time.
Our goal is to lead the way in transparency and safety, openly sharing our testing limits, Babyblend test results on each product page and safety standards with the public. We want parents to feel confident knowing that Little Spoon Babyblends meet the strict standards we've set for heavy metals and other contaminants. We're proud to be raising the bar in the baby food industry and ensuring families have access to safe, nutritious, and trustworthy food options.
*See Baby Cereal product page for details on arsenic limits. - Yes, we are just getting started. Transparency and safety are at the heart of everything we do at Little Spoon, and our baby food is just the first step in this journey. We're proud to be leading the way by testing our baby food to the highest standards, and we're committed to bringing the same level of transparency across all of our high quality, junk-free and non-GMO products for babies, toddlers and kids.
Testing limits for all of our baby products will be established in the coming months, and we will continue to expand these practices with the support of our expert advisors. We believe that every step towards greater transparency is a step toward building trust with families, and we're working hard to lead the industry forward.