Wausau Pilot & Review
Wisconsin health officials are urging consumers to dispose of specific brands of applesauce flagged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that could contain harmful levels of lead.
Do not eat, sell, or serve multiple brands of recalled apple cinnamon fruit pouches, officials say.
Multiple cases of lead poisoning have already been identified in several states, including three suspected cases in Wisconsin that are being investigated, due to children eating one of these products.
Amazon, Dollar Tree and other outlets sold the products, officials said. The FDA has issued a recall for the following brands of applesauce puree that contain cinnamon:
- WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches
- Schnucks cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches
- Schnucks applesauce variety pack
- Weis cinnamon applesauce pouches
A child has lead poisoning when their blood lead level measures greater than or equal to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL).
U.S. health officials have launched an inspection of a plant in Ecuador that made the cinnamon applesauce pouches linked to dozens of cases of acute lead poisoning in U.S. children.
Federal officials say that contaminated cinnamon is the likely source of the lead. An FDA team is collecting samples from the Austrofoods plant that shipped the now recalled applesauce pouches sold widely at Dollar Tree and other stores across the U.S.
“If you think your child may have eaten one of the applesauce products included in the recall, then ask your health care provider for a blood lead test. Lead is a toxic metal, and there is no safe level for any person. Young children are most susceptible to the effects of lead because their bodies and brains are still growing,” said DHS Secretary-designee Kirsten Johnson. “A blood lead test is the only way to know if a person has been exposed to lead.”
To learn more about blood lead testing, talk to your health care provider or your local health department. Consumers and health care providers can monitor updates about this recall on the FDA Public Health Advisories from Investigations of Foodborne Illness Outbreaks webpage.
