Lawsuits by families alleging their children were harmed by toxic heavy metals in baby food made by eight companies — including Gerber, Beech-Nut and Campbell Soup Company — will be consolidated in a San Francisco federal court, a federal judicial panel decided Thursday.

Ten lawsuits by families alleging their children were harmed by toxic heavy metals in baby food made by eight companies — including Gerber, Beech-Nut and Campbell Soup Company — will be consolidated in a San Francisco federal court, a federal judicial panel decided Thursday.

The lawsuits, originally filed in six different districts allege children who consumed the companies’ baby food suffered brain injuries resulting in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered the cases to be consolidated before U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in the Northern District of California, where five of the cases are pending and similar cases are proceeding in state court.