Fruit puree pouches are typically seen as healthy and without any potential negative health effects.
Recently, parents of dozens of kids found out the hard way that not everything is always what it seems.
According to a report from Consumer Reports, nearly three dozen illnesses were linked to three brands of applesauce sold at several Dollar Tree stores in the United States.
The products each included applesauce and cinnamon among other ingredients.
Now, the source of contamination has reportedly been found.
Sixty-Four Children ‘Possibly Harmed’
The latest update from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that sixty-four children were ‘possibly harmed,’ most likely by contaminated cinnamon sourced from the companies Austrofoods and Negasmart, based in Ecuador.
The illnesses have led to recalls of WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Weis cinnamon applesauce, and Schnucks cinnamon applesauce.
The two companies are being investigated further by the FDA, the Consumer Reports article said.
Lead-Contaminated Cinnamon — Alleged Culprit
Lead-contaminated cinnamon was found to be the likely culprit according to a December 1 FDA update.
Applesauce pouches may still be present in the cabinets of parents according to recent reports. Anyone who sees the products at local stores or in their cabinets is urged to destroy them in accordance with FDA guidelines.
The FDA added that children who have eaten any of these products should have a blood test to check for possible lead exposure.
The problem was first uncovered after four kids in North Carolina were found to have levels of lead in their blood high enough to possibly cause acute toxicity.
The WanaBana product was the one each child had in common when tested.
Several lots of the product were tested and “extremely high concentrations” of lead were found.
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