What is Clean Label Project Certification and Why Does it Matter?
As a parent, you want the very best for your child – especially when it comes to nutrition and choosing the best ingredients for your little one! But there are so many buzzwords, certifications and classifications that it can be really overwhelming and lead to analysis paralysis as you peruse the grocery store. We’ve all been there!
There’s also been a constant stream of headlines in the last few years about heavy metals in baby food, which is enough to freak out any parent. Most recently, you may have heard that California enacted a new law regulating heavy metals in food marketed to children under two. California AB 899 requires baby food manufacturers test their finished products for the heavy metals arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury (something we have done from day one at Mission MightyMe!) and publish the results for all products manufactured after January 1, 2025 in a searchable database on their website. (Our most recent production run is going through the testing process now and will soon be searchable right here).
Although this law is specific to California, it’s expected to dramatically improve the safety and transparency of baby food nationwide. Want to know more? Read our blog on the new legislation – and why at Mission MightyMe, we believe this is an important step in the right direction – here.
As a consumer, AB 899 gives you a lot more information and a lot more power. You’ll have the ability to compare products across a wide range of brands and make more informed decisions. Some parents who want to get more granular will love that, others may find it overwhelming. If you’d prefer a birds-eye view, you can also look for products with the Clean Label Project Purity Award. Clean Label Project-certified brands, like Mission MightyMe, were already proactively testing finished ingredients long before California mandated it, so looking for the Clean Label Project seal provides added confidence that the brand you’re buying prioritizes testing and safety protocols. We’re proud to say that every single one of our products has received the Clean Label Project Purity Award.
What are Heavy Metals?
OK, before we get deeper into the Clean Label Project, you might be wondering what heavy metals are and how in the heck they get into food anyway? Remember that periodic table of elements from grade school? Heavy metals are elements that occur naturally in the earth’s crust and they’re also byproducts of pollution. Decades of pollution have unfortunately made heavy metals ubiquitous in our soil, water and air. Just as crops absorb vital nutrients like iron and calcium from the soil, they also absorb heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury that can be harmful, especially for babies. Learn more about heavy metals and our commitment to safety in our Safety Standards Resource Center.
It’s enough to make any parent anxious, however, we’re here to help break through the noise and explain why looking for the Clean Label Project certification can give you more peace of mind when it comes to stocking your pantry with only the best for your family.
What is the Clean Label Project?
The Clean Label Project is a national nonprofit dedicated to safety and transparency in consumer products. The Clean Label Project conducts rigorous, independent testing on products, for 200+ contaminants, including heavy metals, chemicals, pesticides and plasticizers, and benchmarks the results. Only the top performing brands in the category are awarded the Clean Label Project Purity Award.
The organization’s mission is to bring truth and transparency to food and consumer product labeling – in part by recognizing brands with products that place an emphasized focus on testing and surpass the minimum regulations required by FDA. Through third-party testing, Clean Label Project reveals to brands how their ingredient supply chain and quality assurance systems fare compared to industry leaders, and in turn reveals to consumers what brands are taking the extra steps to minimize consumer exposure to known chemicals of concern.
What is the process to become Clean Label Project Certified?
The Clean Label Project conducts rigorous, independent testing on food products through a process called “consumer chain of custody unannounced sampling and testing.” Samples are procured in grocery stores, online retailers, and brand websites all in an effort to mirror the consumer shopping experience. Clean Label Project, along with their independent accredited laboratories, conduct comprehensive testing for industrial and environmental contaminants, surpassing the scope of federal regulations primarily focused on microbiological contaminants (like E.coli, salmonella, and listeria). The test samples are blinded in order to protect impartiality. Clean Label Project requires proof of food safety, ingredient risk assessments, and supplier assurance programs.
In the absence of maximum federal tolerance limits, Clean Label Project’s certification process is inspired by other leading progressive regulations: California's Proposition 65 and the European Union. To achieve the Clean Label Project Purity Award, product test results must be in the top 1/3 of the category as defined in the Clean Label Project Purity Award standard. You can read more about their methodology here.
For busy parents who don’t want to spend time researching and comparing test results, looking for Clean Label Project certified products is a good way to do your homework without too much heavy lifting. Note that some brands may have some products that are Clean Label Certified and others that are not. We’re proud to say that every single one of our products has won the Clean Label Project Purity Award!
When you see a Clean Label Project seal of approval on a product, you know it has been independently tested and evaluated. Interested in seeing if your favorite brands are up to snuff? You can search for hundreds of products by category (including Baby, Beverages, Cleaning, Food, Health & Fitness, Personal Care and more) on https://cleanlabelproject.org/.
What’s the Clean Label Project Association Baby Coalition?
We’re also proud to serve on the Clean Label Project Association Baby Coalition to educate and advocate for the reduction of environmental and industrial contaminant exposure to infants. The Baby Coalition represents over 30 infant, child and maternal health brands that work together to educate consumers, retailers, fellow brands and the medical and regulatory communities on the risks of environmental and industrial contaminant exposure. The Coalition advocates for positions on progressive legislative and policy issues, raises awareness of the risks associated with contaminants and other chemicals of concern, and works across the supply chain to improve food, and consumer products, marketed towards vulnerable populations.
Ask your pediatrician about the Clean Label Project and Heavy Metals
Heavy metals can be an overwhelming topic for parents. We encourage you to talk with your pediatrician about your questions and concerns. He or she may be able to alleviate some of the stress with reliable information and also help you with a plan to minimize exposure – without driving yourself crazy or sacrificing nutrition density.
The Clean Label Project is in the process of an outreach campaign to pediatricians to provide them with educational materials and a list of Clean Label Certified brands they can recommend to patients. Ask your pediatrician for more information on the Clean Label Project and heavy metals.
Craving more information? Check out our Safety Standards Resource Center and our video Q&A with Jackie Bowen, the founder and executive director of Clean Label Project, on how to limit exposure to heavy metals (she knows her stuff).
Helpful Resources for Caregivers:
