Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls on December 7, 2023
Lead in applesauce pouches poses serious health risk.
These applesauce pouches, directly marketed for children, are under investigation due to the high levels of lead found in the product that has been detected in high enough concentrations to cause illness. At least 64 cases have been identified so far, all for children under the age of six.
While toxic to humans of any age, lead is particularly dangerous to children and their developing bodies. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to investigate this issue.
This high lead concentration issue has been on the FDA’s radar since Oct. 28. As there was no recall from WanaBana at the time, the agency issued an FDA Alert for the product indicating that they have been made aware of potential health impacts related to this product.
“The FDA is advising parents and caregivers not to buy or feed WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches to children because the product may contain elevated levels of lead. Parents and caregivers of toddlers and young children who may have consumed WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches should contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test.”
As more information became available and reports from state agencies in North Carolina (where some of the first cases were reported), the outbreak linked the illnesses to a shared product. The investigation shifted to the national level.
The FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response & Evaluation (CORE) Network in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now working with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the North Carolina Department of Health & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) along with several other impacted states health agencies as more cases are reported.
Now there have been reports of adverse illness in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
An initial recall was initiated for Wanabana brand Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree Pouches, but was later expanded to include two other brands, Schnucks and Weis.
According to the last FDA update on December 5, 2023, an onsite inspection of Austrofoods is underway. Austrofoods is the manufacturer of the implicated applesauce pouches. It seems the issue may be linked to an ingredient used in making the product.
Cinnamon.
Ecuadorian authorities have also been investigating this issue. Negasmart, Austrofood’s cinnamon supplier, is under an “administrative sanctions process” because their cinnamon has higher levels of lead than allowed by the country of Ecuador.
Both US and Ecuadorian authorities continue to investigate.
Unlike most foodborne illnesses linked to pathogens that can be easily identified by the genetic makeup of the offending strain, there is no established method to link lead exposure to a specific source. This complicates linking cases to an outbreak or a source.
For lead exposure, the FDA relies on interview data collected by local and state partners to identify a cluster of illnesses and take the initial step to determine if there is a shared source of exposure between those cases.
In this outbreak event, the CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health is conducting “case finding efforts” to identify additional cases. The criteria for a case linked to this outbreak includes a “blood lead level of 3.5µg/dL or higher measured within 3 months after consuming a recalled WanaBana, Schnucks, or Weis brand fruit puree product after November 2022.”
The current recall involves all batches, lots, and expiration date codes of WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree in 3-pack pouches of 2.5 oz. According to the recall, WanaBana trade channels include Amazon and Dollar Tree.
WanaBana also produces private label brands. Two of these brands are also included in the extended recall. Certain lots of these brands are included in the recall.
Recalled products:
At this time there have been no reports of illness associated with the recalled lots Schnucks Apple Sauce or Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce.
According to the recall, “sample analyses have not shown elevated levels of lead in any non-recalled products.” However, investigators continue to look for additional products that may be included in this multi-state outbreak.
This recalled product was also distributed outside the United States to Cuba and the United Arab Emirates.
Symptoms of lead toxicity vary from person to person as well as other factors such length of exposure. Short term exposure often results in symptoms involving acute symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain/colic, vomiting, and/or anemia.
Longer-term exposure present more systemic symptoms, including:
It is difficult for young children to articulate many of these symptoms. So, oftentimes this type of illness goes underdiagnosed unless extreme symptoms are observed or the child is screened for blood lead toxicity.
Lead toxicity is serious, particularly in small children. The FDA advises caregivers to talk to their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood lead test if you suspect your child might have consumed the recalled product.
Do not feed or consume recalled products. If your child has become ill after consuming a product outside of the recall, clearly mark the product and retain in for traceback investigation.
Reach out to a food poisoning lawyer. The experienced lawyers at The Lange Law Firm can help determine if you have a case and how to navigate this scary situation. As a caregiver, you may feel powerless when it comes to this situation, watching your child become sick from eating something that should have been safe. A food poisoning lawyer can help. Reach out for a free consultation at (833) 330-3663 or click here to email.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)