New investigation is the first to trace microplastics and plastic chemicals from plastic packaging into baby food

Washington (May 20, 2026) — A new investigation commissioned by Greenpeace International has found microplastics in every baby food pouch it tested, and estimates that a single Gerber pouch contains more than 5,000 microplastic particles and more than 11,000 in a Happy Baby Organics pouch. The study traced the likely source to the plastic lining of the pouches themselves.

The report, Tiny Plastics, Big Problem: The Hidden Risks of Baby Food Plastic Pouches, also detected a range of chemicals in both the food and the packaging, including a potential endocrine-disrupting chemical in the Gerber pouches. 

Lindsey Jurca, Senior Plastics Campaigner at Greenpeace USA, said:

“For nearly a century, Gerber has been one of the most trusted names in feeding American babies. That trust has been shattered. They’re serving babies microplastics with every pouch. Gerber promises ‘anything for baby.’ We’re asking for one simple thing: stop serving microplastics for lunch.” 

Key findings are:

  • In every gram of baby food tested, researchers found up to 54 microplastic particles in Gerber pouches and up to 99 particles in Happy Baby Organics pouches, on average. That’s equivalent to as many as 270 (Gerber) and 495 (Happy Baby Organics) microplastics per teaspoon. 
  • The study also identified a range of plastic-associated chemicals present in both the packaging and the food, including a chemical in the Gerber samples that is a known endocrine disruptor.
  • The study suggests a link between polyethylene, the plastic lining the pouches, and some of the microplastics found in the baby food tested. 

Dr. Leo Trasande, Director of NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Division of Environmental Pediatrics and NYU Langone Health’s Center for the Investigation of Environmental Hazards, said: 

“I see firsthand how plastic chemicals harm our children — contributing to rising rates of obesity, reproductive, and neurodevelopmental disorders that can impact them for a lifetime. Finding microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals in baby food is exactly the early exposure we have been warning about for years. While alarming, we’re merely scratching the surface of a bigger problem — and yet we already have enough information to act with urgency. If we’re serious about children’s health, we cannot allow companies to serve them plastic with any meal, especially not their first.”

Plastic squeeze pouches are now the dominant format for baby food globally, growing 8% annually and accounting for 37% of the market by volume in 2025. They are made from flexible multilayer plastics, which are notoriously difficult to recycle and a major source of pollution. Packaging already accounts for roughly 40% of all global plastic production.

Greenpeace USA is calling on Gerber, which has been one of the most trusted names in feeding American babies for nearly a century, to do two things before its 100th anniversary: test every product for microplastics and publish the results publicly, and commit to a phased timeline to eliminate plastic pouches from its baby food line in favor of non-toxic, plastic-free, reusable alternatives. Parents can learn more here. 

Greenpeace USA is also calling on the U.S. Government to pass the Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act, which would close loopholes that allow chemicals to be added to foods without thorough review, and pass the Microplastics Safety Act. 

As governments negotiate the UN Global Plastics Treaty, Greenpeace is demanding negotiators act with urgency to ban these products, reduce plastic production, and end uncontrolled and unregulated plastic and chemical contamination that threatens human health.

“Babies don’t have time for another study. The current U.S. Administration campaigned on protecting Americans’ health, especially children’s. They declared a war on microplastics. Parents across the political spectrum are still waiting on leaders who deliver,” says Jurca.

Notes: 

[1] The study was conducted by SINTEF Ocean in Norway in 2025 and commissioned by Greenpeace International. It tested three pouches each of two baby food products, Nestlé’s Gerber brand yogurt puree and Danone’s Happy Baby Organics brand fruit puree. Products were analyzed as sold (not heated).

Photos can be accessed in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Contacts:

Tanya Brooks, Senior Communications Specialist at Greenpeace USA, [email protected]

Greenpeace USA Press Desk: [email protected]   

Greenpeace USA (Inc.) is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.