Once Upon a Farm is one of the safer commercial baby food options available, based on its testing transparency, organic certification, and third-party quality awards. That said, no baby food is completely free of trace heavy metals, and the brand did have one small recall in 2024. Here’s what the evidence shows across every safety dimension parents care about.
Heavy Metal Testing and Transparency
Heavy metals in baby food became a major concern after a 2021 congressional report found detectable levels of lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury in products from several major brands. Once Upon a Farm has responded more transparently than most competitors. The company is one of only four baby food manufacturers voluntarily publishing their heavy metal testing results from 2024, alongside Plum Organics, Lil’ Gourmets, and Square Baby. California now requires companies to disclose heavy metal levels in baby food, but Once Upon a Farm went further by reporting results for all of its products, not just those legally required for children under two.
The FDA’s current action levels for lead in baby food are 10 parts per billion for most fruits, vegetables, mixtures, yogurts, and meats, and 20 ppb for root vegetables and dry infant cereals. Foods exceeding these thresholds can be considered adulterated. Once Upon a Farm states that each lot undergoes heavy metal testing and that its entire portfolio complies with U.S. regulations while also being guided by European Union and Clean Label Project standards, which are generally stricter. When no specific guideline exists for a contaminant, the company says it sets its own internal limits.
How the Food Is Processed
Most jarred baby foods are heat-pasteurized, which kills harmful bacteria but also breaks down some vitamins, fiber, and flavor compounds. Once Upon a Farm uses high-pressure processing (HPP) instead. HPP submerges sealed pouches in cold water at extremely high pressure, around 87,000 pounds per square inch, which destroys pathogens like Listeria and Salmonella by physically rupturing bacterial cell walls. Because no heat is applied beyond a brief, minimal temperature increase during compression, the food retains more of its original nutrients, color, and texture.
HPP has a strong track record in North America for reducing Listeria contamination specifically, and it does so without chemical preservatives. The tradeoff is that HPP products typically have a shorter shelf life than heat-pasteurized foods and need to stay refrigerated or frozen.
Storage Matters More With This Brand
Because Once Upon a Farm skips traditional heat pasteurization, proper storage is more important than it would be with a shelf-stable jar of baby food. Their products are sold refrigerated or frozen, and the USDA considers the range between 40°F and 140°F the “danger zone” for bacterial growth. If a pouch sits out at room temperature for an extended period, especially in warm conditions, it carries more risk than a shelf-stable product would. Keep pouches refrigerated until use, and don’t let them sit out longer than you would any other perishable food.
The 2024 Recall
Once Upon a Farm did issue a voluntary recall in May 2024 for its Organic Plant-Rich Meal in Curried Carrots & Beans due to potential Listeria contamination. The recall was small, covering just 95 units of a single product sold in 3.5-ounce frozen pouches. No illnesses were reported. The product was distributed frozen and labeled as not ready to eat, meaning it required preparation before serving. One recall of this size doesn’t signal a systemic problem, but it’s worth knowing about, particularly because it involved the very pathogen that HPP is designed to eliminate. It suggests that no processing method is foolproof and quality control at every stage, from ingredient sourcing to final packaging, remains essential.
Organic Certification and Ingredients
All Once Upon a Farm products carry USDA Organic certification. This means the ingredients are grown without synthetic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or genetic modification. Organic certification doesn’t guarantee zero pesticide residue, since drift from neighboring farms and background environmental contamination can introduce trace amounts, but it does significantly reduce exposure compared to conventional produce.
The company says it runs a supplier qualification program that includes audits and testing of both raw materials and finished products. Microbiological testing checks for harmful bacteria in every production lot.
Packaging Safety
Once Upon a Farm’s pouches are free of BPA, BPS, and PVC, three chemicals that parents commonly worry about leaching into food. Their pouch coolers (the outer packaging for shipping) are also free of BPA, BPS, and phthalates. The pouches themselves have a complex, multilayer structure, which is standard for flexible food packaging designed to maintain a barrier against oxygen and moisture. One downside: that complexity makes them non-recyclable through curbside or store drop-off programs.
Third-Party Certifications
The Clean Label Project, an independent nonprofit that tests consumer products for contaminants like heavy metals, pesticide residues, and plasticizers, has certified nearly 40 Once Upon a Farm products. The certified lineup spans their baby purees, smoothies, immunity blends, and advanced nutrition meals. Clean Label Project certification involves testing the actual finished product rather than relying on ingredient-level claims, which provides an additional layer of verification beyond what the company does internally.
Having this many products certified across multiple product lines is notable. Many baby food brands have only a handful of certified items, or none at all.
How It Compares Overall
No baby food on the market is entirely free of trace contaminants. Heavy metals occur naturally in soil and water, which means even organic produce absorbs small amounts. What separates brands is how aggressively they test, how transparent they are about results, and whether they hold themselves to standards beyond the legal minimum. Once Upon a Farm checks those boxes more consistently than most competitors. Its combination of voluntary heavy metal disclosure, Clean Label Project certification across dozens of products, HPP instead of heat pasteurization, and organic sourcing places it in the upper tier of commercially available baby foods for safety. The one recall was minor in scope and handled proactively, which is actually how recalls should work: catch a potential problem early and pull the product before anyone gets sick.