Toxic Pesticides in Target’s Baby Food
Executive summary
Friends of the Earth (FoE) testing of Target’s Good & Gather non‑organic Apple and Pear baby purées found a “cocktail” of pesticides — reported variously as 21 pesticides in 2024 testing and as higher counts in subsequent FoE releases — including neonicotinoids and organophosphate metabolites; FoE said 12 of the detected chemicals were classified as highly hazardous and eight were banned in the EU [1] [2]. Regulators and retailers have also faced separate but related safety actions over Target baby foods for elevated lead levels and a March 2025 voluntary recall of specific Good & Gather tubs [3] [4] [5].
1. What the tests found — a “cocktail,” not a single toxin
Friends of the Earth’s investigation reported multiple pesticides in Good & Gather Apple and Pear purées: their initial reporting described finding 21 distinct pesticides, including neonicotinoids and organophosphate metabolites, and flagged that a subset are judged highly hazardous or banned in the EU [1] [2]. FoE emphasized that the results show cumulative contamination from multiple classes — insecticides, herbicides and fungicides — rather than a single contaminant [1].
2. How FoE frames health and environmental risk
FoE researchers, citing scientific literature, linked neonicotinoids and organophosphate metabolites to neurodevelopmental and endocrine concerns and called organophosphates “highly toxic” to children’s developing brains; they also highlighted ecological harms — several detected pesticides are highly toxic to bees or aquatic life [2] [6]. FoE noted that detected pesticide levels were below current EPA limits but argued those EPA standards are outdated and fail to account for cumulative and low‑dose effects [1].
3. Regulatory context and EPA limits
FoE’s own writeups acknowledge the measured concentrations were below U.S. EPA tolerance levels; FoE disputes the sufficiency of those limits and says they do not incorporate the latest science on mixtures and developmental exposures [1]. The sources provided do not include an EPA statement or independent regulatory risk assessment that definitively interprets the health risk of these specific samples; available sources do not mention an EPA reanalysis or enforcement action tied to the FoE pesticide findings (not found in current reporting).
4. The separate but related issue of heavy metals and recalls
Independently of pesticide testing, Target voluntarily recalled more than 25,000 units of a Good & Gather vegetable purée in March/April 2025 for “elevated levels of lead,” per FDA notices and reporting; some public reporting later connected that recall to two Oregon infants with elevated blood lead levels [3] [4] [7] [8]. These lead incidents and recalls are related to heavy‑metal contamination reporting and litigation in the baby‑food sector rather than to the pesticide residues FoE tested [7] [5].
5. Industry response and wider retail context
Target’s brief responses noted commitment to product safety but, in reporting cited by The New Lede, Target did not offer detailed rebuttals to FoE’s pesticide list; FoE contrasted Target’s policy against other retailers that have pollinator or pesticide reduction commitments [9] [6]. Friends of the Earth also called on Target to adopt time‑bound strategies to reduce pesticide use and move toward safer agriculture [6].
6. Limitations, peer review, and what’s missing
The FoE analyses cited here appear to be nonprofit laboratory investigations and, in at least one article, the report had not been peer‑reviewed [9]. The sources provided do not include independent, peer‑reviewed toxicology assessments showing that the detected residues in these particular jars cause harm at the measured concentrations; available sources do not mention a regulatory reclassification, recall, or health advisory by EPA or FDA specifically tied to the pesticide findings (p1_s3; [9]; not found in current reporting).
7. Competing viewpoints and next steps for consumers
FoE and allied groups frame these findings as evidence that U.S. tolerance regimes and retailer policies are inadequate and call for stricter limits and transitions to organic practices [2] [6]. Target and standard regulatory practice point out that measured residues were below U.S. EPA limits — a position that implies lower immediate regulatory concern though FoE disputes that standard as insufficient [1]. For parents seeking practical steps, the reporting suggests looking to organic baby food options and following recalls and FDA notices [3] [4], while recognizing the sources above do not provide a definitive exposure‑risk calculation for the pesticide residues found (not found in current reporting).
Summary: Friends of the Earth’s lab work documents multiple pesticide residues in Target’s tested baby purées and calls them hazardous [1] [2]; independent regulatory action to date has focused on elevated lead in a separate Good & Gather product and related recalls [3] [4] [5].