Bobbie's Full Suite of Infant Formulas Named "Top Choice" by Consumer Reports for Heavy Metal Safety: All Four Formulas Test Non-Detect or Low Across Lead, Arsenic, BPA, and More

HEATH, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 4, 2026--

Bobbie, the mom-founded pediatric nutrition company, today announced that its complete line of organic and grass-fed infant formulas has been named "Top Choices" by Consumer Reports, the leading independent, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. In two consecutive rounds of independent formula safety testing — conducted in March 2025 and March 2026 — Consumer Reports found non-detectable to low levels of heavy metals and toxins across all four of Bobbie's infant formulas, making Bobbie one of the only formula brands to achieve top-choice status across its entire product line in both rounds of testing.

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The results arrive as parents, pediatricians, and policymakers are increasingly focused on infant formula safety, heavy metal testing, and manufacturing transparency — concerns amplified by a wave of bacterial recalls, contaminant headlines, and growing scrutiny of an industry that, to date, faces no federal limits on heavy metals in infant formula.

What Consumer Reports Tested and What They Found

Consumer Reports' 2026 study independently tested 49 infant formulas — including powdered, ready-to-feed, concentrated, hypoallergenic, and specialty options — for the following contaminants:

Of the 49 formulas tested, 26 had contaminants at potentially concerning levels. Bobbie was not among them.

Both Bobbie formulas included in the 2026 round received "Top Choice" designation, meaning contaminants were either not detected or detected below the level of concern across every category:

The 2025 round of Consumer Reports testing produced the same results for Bobbie's two additional formulas:

Consumer Reports stated in its published findings: "All the Bobbie formulas we have spot-checked in both rounds of testing have been in the top-choice category, with no or low levels of detected contaminants."

Is Bobbie Infant Formula Safe? What the Data Shows

For parents searching for the safest infant formula or researching heavy metals in baby formula, here is what the Consumer Reports data shows about Bobbie:

These results reflect Bobbie's commitment to going beyond what is legally required — because the FDA currently has no formal limits for heavy metals in infant formula in the United States.

"On one hand, we know that trace levels of heavy metals exist in every agricultural food product, and the FDA has yet to establish formal standards for heavy metals in infant formula," said Casey Bauer, Chief Operations Officer of Bobbie and dad of two. "At Bobbie, we strongly support the agency's ongoing Closer to Zero initiative and the development of rigorous, science-based limits. We already hold ourselves to those higher expectations today, as reflected in these test results, and we remain committed to pushing the industry forward on transparency and safety."

How Bobbie Tests for Heavy Metals, Bacteria, and Contaminants: Inside the Safety Infrastructure

While most infant formula manufacturers are not legally required to test for heavy metals or publish their results, Bobbie has built a multi-layer safety and testing infrastructure at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Heath, Ohio — the only facility in the United States producing a European-style infant formula end-to-end:

1. Ingredient Validation: Raw ingredients, including whole milk powder, are qualified to meet our stringent specifications. Batches are then tested mid-production and post-production, and remain in a "Quality Hold" until third-party labs confirm they meet Bobbie's strict internal standards for heavy metals, microbials, and other contaminants.

2. SRC Early Warning System for Bacterial Safety: Bobbie has introduced Sulfite-Reducing Clostridia (SRC) testing — a proactive screening tool used to identify potential spore-forming bacteria, including C. botulinum (the bacteria responsible for infant botulism), before any product leaves the facility. This is a testing protocol that exceeds current FDA requirements.

3. 10x Environmental Surveillance: Since acquiring its manufacturing facility in 2023, Bobbie has increased environmental microbial swabbing by 10x, conducting hundreds of tests per month to find and eliminate pathogens in the environment before they can enter the product.

4. 2,000+ Quality and Safety Checks Per Batch: Every batch of Bobbie formula passes more than 2,000 individual quality and safety checks — many of which go beyond what is required by regulators.

5. The Bobbie Transparency Tracker:(Newly Updated) Bobbie is launching a first-of-its-kind Transparency Tracker — a digital tool that allows parents to enter the lot code from their can to access specific production dates, expiration windows, and verified safety results, including confirmation that the batch passed all heavy metal screenings. Parents can track the complete safety journey of their formula from the manufacturing floor to their door.

Visit www.hibobbie.com/pages/formula-safety to learn more or use the Transparency Tracker.

"Building confidence in infant formula isn't competitive; it's a collective responsibility. And our commitment is to earn that confidence obsessively: every day, every batch, every can," said Laura Modi, CEO and Co-Founder of Bobbie and mom of four. "At the end of the day, parents deserve unwavering confidence that their baby's food is safe. And a massive part of establishing that confidence comes from transparency and reports like this one. While we're incredibly proud of these results, we're more fixated on the power of this type of information: clear, actionable, and empowering — something all American parents deserve."

About Bobbie

Bobbie is the only European-style infant formula manufactured end-to-end in the United States. Founded in 2018 by moms, for parents, Bobbie is on a mission to create a culture of confidence in infant feeding — and has been doing so since launching in 2021 as the first direct-to-consumer, subscription-based infant formula in the U.S. Today, Bobbie is the best-selling organic formula at Whole Foods Market and the only Organic infant formula on Costco shelves.

Bobbie offers a complete suite of four clinically crafted organic and grass-fed infant formulas, manufactured right here in America, making it the first and only mom-founded infant formula brand in the world to own its manufacturing end-to-end on American soil. Every formula is developed with leading pediatricians, nutrition scientists, and clinical experts to reflect the latest evidence-based infant nutrition science, and every batch undergoes 2,000+ quality and safety checks.

Purposefully sourced with simple, high-quality, organic ingredients and held to rigorous European nutritional standards, Bobbie has been independently recognized by Consumer Reports as a "Top Choice" infant formula across two consecutive rounds of heavy metal and contaminant testing (2025 and 2026) — with all four formulas rating non-detect or low for lead, arsenic, BPA, acrylamide, cadmium, and mercury.

For modern families who want the best organic infant formula without compromise, Bobbie delivers safety, transparency, and nutrition in every can — crafted right here in America, for American families.

For more information, visit hibobbie.com.

Bobbie’s full product suite has been named among Top Choices in Consumer Reports’ infant formula testing for its low or non-detect levels of heavy metals and contaminants.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A college dropout was ordered held without bond Tuesday for murder charges in the killings of two University of South Florida students, just days after a SWAT team descended on his parents’ house to arrest him.

Hillsborough County Judge Logan Murphy also ordered 26-year-old Hisham Abugharbieh to have no contact with any witnesses or the victims' relatives during a brief hearing in a Tampa courtroom.

Abugharbieh faces two counts of first-degree murder with a weapon as well as other charges, according to state court records. Abugharbieh could get the death penalty if convicted, although prosecutors haven’t yet indicated whether they would seek capital punishment.

Abugharbieh was not in the courtroom during Tuesday morning's hearing. Public defender Jennifer Spradley said Monday that her office would not comment.

Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy, both 27-year-old doctoral students from Bangladesh, were considering getting married, a relative said, before they disappeared April 16. Limon was last seen at the off-campus complex where he shared an apartment with Abugharbieh and another roommate.

Detectives used cellphone location and license plate reader data to track Abugharbieh’s car and Limon’s phone to the bridge where Limon’s body was found Friday morning. Limon had numerous stab wounds and appeared to be bound, according to a report filed by prosecutors.

Deputies continued searching for Bristy. On Sunday, the sheriff’s office announced a body had been found in a waterway near the bridge. The body had not been identified, the sheriff’s office said.

The medical examiner's office said Tuesday that autopsy reports for the body were pending.

When detectives questioned Abugharbieh and the other roommate several days after the couple went missing, investigators noticed Abugharbieh's pinky finger was bandaged, but he denied any involvement with Limon’s disappearance, according to the prosecution's pretrial detention report.

When an apartment manager gave them access to the apartment, and to Limon's locked bedroom, the third roommate told detectives Abugharbieh had used a cart overnight on April 16 to move cardboard boxes from his room to the trash compactor. That's where detectives found Limon’s wallet and campus ID badge, credit card, eyeglasses and clothes that appeared to have blood on them.

Returning with a search warrant, detectives found blood residue leading from the kitchen to Abugharbieh’s bedroom, and more blood that soaked his bedroom carpet. In Limon’s bedroom, they found Bristy’s campus ID and credit cards.

Days before they went missing, Abugharbieh had asked Open AI's ChatGPT what would happen if a human body was put in a garbage bag and thrown in a dumpster, according to a report filed by prosecutors over the weekend. ChatGPT responded that Abugharbieh’s question sounded dangerous, according to the report.

An investigation the office of Florida’s attorney general launched last week over whether ChatGPT offered advice to the suspect accused of killing two people last year at Florida State University will be expanded to include the killings of the USF students, state Attorney General James Uthmeier said Monday on social media.

Open AI spokesperson Drew Pusateri said Tuesday that the company was looking into the reports on Abugharbieh and would support law enforcement in any way with their investigation.

“This is a terrible crime, and our thoughts are with everyone affected," Pusateri said in an email.

Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social.

Detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office join an investigation inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office join an investigation inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office join an investigation inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Members of the media document detectives and deputies with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office as they investigate inside the Lake Forest subdivision of Tampa, Fla., on Friday, April 24, 2026, where authorities said a man was taken into custody after barricading himself inside a home, in connection to the search for two missing University of South Florida graduate students. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)