Dollar Tree did not recall lead-contaminated applesauce bags linked to reports of illnesses in greater than 500 children, leaving the products on shelves in some stores for 2 months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.
The FDA sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree this month and issued an import alert to Negasmart, the Ecuadorian distributor of WanaBana’s apple cinnamon pouches, following an October 2023 recall of the products found to contain “extremely high” levels of lead and chromium.
Children in 44 states had probably or confirmed According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been cases within the U.S. of elevated blood lead levels after consuming applesauce pouches marketed to young children. The outbreak was declared over in April.
FDA officials sent a warning letter Dollar Tree Inc. said last week that WanaBana apple puree products remained on shelves in several states until late December, two months after the corporate was notified of the recall. Officials for the Chesapeake, Virginia-based company had said they’d banned the products from being sold at checkouts, however the FDA said that was “not an effective measure” because a minimum of one child in Washington state had eaten a recalled fruit pouch at a store before attempting to make a purchase order.
Dollar Tree officials said in an email Tuesday that the corporate is working under latest management and is taking steps to strengthen its process for “quickly and effectively conducting product recalls.” The company operates greater than 16,000 discount stores in 48 states.
Negasmart has been placed under import alerts several times this month, although FDA officials said they’d no evidence that the corporate was attempting to import products into the U.S. The measure is designed to make sure that any attempt by the corporate to import products is “flagged” by FDA inspectors and blocked from reaching consumers. Tests showed that cinnamon factory tested had lead levels greater than 2,000 times higher than the FDA’s really helpful maximum level.
Anyone who consumed the recalled bags should seek the advice of a health care provider, the CDC said. There isn’t any protected level of lead that may cause serious learning and behavior problems, the agency stressed.
The bags include those sold under the WanaBana brand in Dollar Tree stores and online, and under the Schnucks and Weis brands in stores. Because they’ve an extended shelf life, they could still be in consumers’ homes. Consumers shouldn’t eat or serve the baggage; as an alternative, they need to discard them.
