Good news for parents of young children: Ready-made baby food tested free of bisphenols
Last year, the Norwegian consumer organization Forbrukerrådet warned about the detection of bisphenol A in baby food. A new Scandinavian study of 32 ready-made baby foods did not find bisphenols in any of the tested products.
“I’m shocked! Are you conducting tests here in Denmark?”
“I hope you will test baby food from the Danish market.”
When the Danish Consumer Council in 2025 shared the results of a Norwegian test that had found bisphenol A in ready-made baby food, there was clear demand for a Danish test.
Bisphenol A has been banned in packaging for baby food since 2018, as it can disrupt the hormonal system and damage fertility.
Therefore, we have now – together with our Norwegian and Swedish sister organizations – tested 32 baby food products in various types of packaging from the Scandinavian marked.
The results are reassuring news for parents of young children who use ready-made meals as a quick and convenient way to feed their children. We did not find bisphenols in any of the products tested - neither bisphenol A nor any of the other bisphenols we tested for.
"We are very pleased and relieved that we did not find harmful bisphenols in the baby food, even when we were looking for the substances at very low concentrations. This is really good news to be able to share with parents," says project manager Stine Müller from the Consumer Council THINK Chemicals.
Although the baby food is free from the unwanted substances, it is still a good idea to use the convenient ready-made solutions only occasionally - for example, when you are on the go.
Prune purée and spaghetti in jars and pouches
The 32 products tested falls mainly into three different types of meals for young children: spaghetti bolognese, prune purée, and porridge, such as oatmeal, with fruit.
We tested baby food sold in squeeze pouches, jars, plastic containers, and bags. Some products were powders that need to be mixed with water, while the rest were ready-made baby purées.
The tested products included products from the following brands: Semper, Nestlé, Ellas's kitchen, LoveMade, Hipp, Alex & Phil, Änglamark, First Smile, Fra Fejø, Ica I love eco, Minstingen, Kolonihagen, LilleGo' og R (Rema 1000).
Four of the products in the test closely correspond to products included in the initial Norwegian test in which bisphenol A was found
No explanation for the differing results
The original Norwegian test and the new test conducted across Denmark, Sweden, and Norway were carried out using the same methodology, and therefore the test method cannot explain the difference in results.
The five products included in the first test were purchased in June 2024, while the products for the new, larger test were purchased in September 2025.
We asked one of the major baby food manufacturers whether they have any explanation why bisphenols now are no longer in their baby food. They have no explanation for the difference in the test results:
Read the full response from the manufacturer
We have been in contact with Hero Denmark, the owner of the Semper brand.
“Hero Denmark has no explanation for the differences in your analytical results. It is possible that this is due to the analytical method used requiring more extensive validation. We work continuously to ensure the quality and control of our products as well as the packaging in contact with them. Analysis of BPA is part of our control programme, and according to these controls, the products and packaging are BPA-free and safe. Accredited analytical methods are used in our BPA controls, and we note with great interest that your laboratory tests show that all results are below the detection limit of your analytical method.
We take long-term responsibility for our products, which we work with on an ongoing basis,” says Anne Lindfeldt, Nordic Corporate Communication Manager at Hero Nordics.
Comment from the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals: The method used was developed and validated by a research institute with the aim of measuring lower levels of bisphenols than the methods typically used by companies and authorities. A low detection level is important as even very low concentrations of BPA may pose a risk.
Therefore, Stine Müller from the Danish Consumer Council THINK Chemicals can only speculate about what might explain the findings.
'“A possible explanation could be that, as restrictions on the use of the substance have become more widespread, manufacturers have become increasingly aware of these unwanted chemicals and have taken further steps to eliminate any contamination of them entirely throughout their production processes. Regardless of the reason, we are very pleased to see that baby food is now free of them,” she says.
The Danish Veterinary, Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Agency is in the process of testing baby food for bisphenols. The results of that investigation are expected later this year.
How we did it
The baby food was purchased in the autumn of 2025, sent to the laboratory and examined for the content of various bisphenols including bisphenol A, S and F. We did not examine the content or release from the packaging, only the content directly in the food.
Here is the list of bisphenols studied:
1. 4,4-bisphenol A
2. 2,4-bisphenol A
3. 4,4-bisphenol S
4. 2,4-bisphenol S
5. 4,4-bisphenol F
6. 2,4-bisphenol F
7. 2,2-bisphenol F
8. bisphenol AF
9. tetrabromobisphenol
The test was carried out in collaboration with our Nordic sister organizations, Forbrukerrådet in Norway and Råd og Rön in Sweden