‘Natural’ baby product company recalls toddler cups over lead poisoning hazard

A self-described ‘natural’ baby product company is recalling 10,500 of its stainless steel bottles and cups for toddlers that pose a risk of lead poisoning, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday.

Three of Green Sprouts’ products are subject to the recall: its 6 ounce stainless steel sippy cup, its 8 ounce stainless steel straw bottle, which have the tracking numbers 29218V06985 or 35719V06985, and its 6 ounce stainless steel sip and straw cup, which has the tracking number 33020V06985, according to the recall notice.

The tracking numbers are printed on the bottom of the bottles, which were sold in aqua, pink, green and navy colors, according to the notice.

The bottom bases of the products can break off and expose kids to a solder dot — a type of metal used to join metallic surfaces — that contains lead, it says.

‘Lead is toxic if ingested by young children, and can cause adverse health effects,’ the recall notice said.

So far, there have been seven reports of the bottles’ bases breaking off and exposing the solder dot, but no injuries have been reported, according to the recall notice.

‘Consumers should immediately take the recalled stainless steel bottles and cups away from children and discard the bottles and cups,’ the notice said, adding that purchasers of the bottles can contact Green Sprouts for a full refund, and that the company is ‘contacting all known purchasers directly.’

In a statement on social media, the company urged people who bought the products to use a form on its website to get a refund.

Green Sprouts said that the portion of the product containing the lead had not been tested “because it is inaccessible under normal use.”

“Had we known that a component containing lead in these products could become accessible, we wouldn’t have put them on the market,’ the company said. ‘We are undertaking the costs and challenges of a #recall voluntarily because our customers’ health and safety must come first.’

The recalled products were sold at Whole Foods stores, Buy Buy Baby stores and on Green Sprouts’ website, and on the websites for Amazon and Bed Bath and Beyond between January 2020 and September of this year.

While Green Sprouts is based in Asheville, North Carolina, the products subject to recall were made in China, according to the notice.

On its website, Green Sprouts founder and president Becky Cannon wrote the company has ‘holistic foundations’ and is inspired by ‘the traditional Japanese approach to health and well-being.’