Evaluation of conventional and “organic” baby food brands for eight organochlorine and five botanical pesticides

Two lots of applesauce, pears, winter squash and carrots from each of two traditional commercials and one commercial “organic” brand of baby food were purchased from local retailers. These samples were analyzed for eight organochlorine (aldrin, dieldrin, cis-chlordane, p,p′-DDT, p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, heptachlor, and hexachlorobenzene) and five botanical (nicotine, pyrethrin I, pyrethrin II, warfarin, and rotenone) pesticides in duplicate. The results indicated no detectable organochlorine pesticide residues at levels of detection between 4 and 11 pg/g, no detectable nicotine residues at the level of detection of 0.66 ng/g and no detectable pyrethrin I, pyrethrin II, warfarin and rotenone residues at levels of detection between 0.126 and 0.36 ng/g. Since no residues were found in any of the baby foods, there was no apparent distinction between the traditional commercial brands and the “organic” commercial brand of baby foods evaluated in this study.