Staff Reports
The FDA just blew the lid off a scandal involving WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches and variety pack, and Weis-brand cinnamon applesauce pouches.
Recalled applesauce may have been contaminated intentionally with high levels of lead, FDA says https://t.co/2JKJfJmzdJ pic.twitter.com/RCzOPXzJC0
— New York Post (@nypost) December 19, 2023
The FDA has been flooded with a whopping 65 reports of people getting sick from chowing down on these tainted treats. And get this – all of the poor souls who fell prey to these foul fruit pouches are kiddos under 6 years old.
The CDC has swooped in with over 200 cases reported from state and local health departments all across the land. Lead is no joke, folks. It’s bad news for anyone, young or old, healthy or not.
Now, as if that weren’t enough to make you toss your cookies – or in this case, your repulsive applesauce – get this: the FDA dropped a bombshell about the lead contamination in these products. Samples of cinnamon from the supplier, Negasmart, showed lead levels off the charts! We’re talking a mind-boggling 5110 parts per million (ppm) and 2270 ppm.
The international food standards bigwigs over at the Codex Alimentarius Commission are mulling over setting a maximum level of 2.5 ppm for lead in cinnamon next year. Meanwhile, the FDA has its sights set on Ecuador to dig deeper into Negasmart’s shenanigans. But get this: the company doesn’t ship directly to the US! It’s a classic case of pass-the-buck, with Austrofoods (one of Negasmart’s buddies) taking the fall for shipping this toxic sludge stateside.
