Toxic metals in baby food more widespread than thought, new study shows Oct. 17, 2019 01:03 Infant rice cereal, rice dishes and rice-based snacks topped the list of most toxic foods for babies. A sweeping report from Consumer Reports has found products from seven major baby food brands containing higher-than-normal levels of inorganic arsenic and other contaminants. Cereal is often a baby’s first solid food because it is easy to swallow and fortified with iron. Only nine of the 168 baby foods tested weren't found to contain arsenic, lead, cadmium or mercury. 2. But Consumer Reports notes concerns about levels of inorganic arsenic in the product. The study looked for arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury in dozens of brands, and found one in four baby foods contained all four metals, while 40% contained three of the toxins.