Lead levels in children’s applesauce can be traced to cinnamon additive

With dozens of children in the United States suffering from lead poisoningFederal government investigators are now investigating whether the culprit is cinnamon, which is added to some popular applesauce pouches, and whether lead has been added somewhere along the global supply chain, either to enhance the spice’s reddish color or to add weight. add.

In November, the Food and Drug Administration announced a national recall of three million bags of cinnamon applesauce made in Ecuador and sold in dollar stores and other outlets under the brand names WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis.

Concerns over the poisoning cases, involving as many as 125 children, have exposed a wider gap in the FDA’s food oversight. There is no federal requirement to test for lead in foods made domestically or imported into the United States. In this case it is a North Carolina Health Department Survey has traced the source of the contamination after receiving reports of high lead levels in blood tests in children.

That levels of lead in children’s blood are often the first line of detection for lead in food is “effectively using children as canaries,” said Tom Neltner, senior director of safer chemicals at the Environmental Defense Fund, an advocacy group. He said the FDA has not set enforceable limits for lead in food, let alone spices.

“What this shows is a breakdown within the agency and an industry that needs to be fixed,” Mr. Neltner said.

Jim Jones, director of the FDA’s food division, said in an interview with Politics that the lead contamination appeared to be an “intentional act.”

On Friday, the FDA said one of the theories it is investigating is the potential “that the cinnamon contamination occurred as a possible result of economically motivated counterfeiting.” In simpler terms, that statement could mean that the company that produces the cinnamon used additives to make the spice more attractive and commercially profitable.

The agency emphasized that its investigation was not yet complete and also included other theories.

Food safety experts said the addition of lead has long been a problem in spices with a reddish tinge.

“If you sell spices by the pound or ton, you get a better price for leaded or lead-colored spices,” said Charlotte Brody, national director of Healthy Babies Bright Futures, which advocates for the elimination of toxins from baby food. “But you’re also going to poison children.”

Tests for lead in children’s blood are required in some states and cities but are voluntary in most areas, Mr. Neltner said. When elevated levels are found, lead in paint is often assumed to be the culprit, he said, adding that studies as careful as the one in North Carolina are exceptional.

Like most foods consumed in the United States, the various ingredients in the applesauce pouches originated and were manufactured in different parts of the world before ending up on store shelves. The cinnamon applesauce bags were manufactured in Ecuador by Austrofood, but the cinnamon supply was handled by another company, Negasmart.

This week, the FDA said it conducted an on-site inspection of Austrofood’s manufacturing facility in northern Ecuador and collected samples of the cinnamon used in the recalled products. Austrofood did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The FDA said Ecuadorian authorities told U.S. regulators that Negasmart’s cinnamon contained higher levels of lead than allowed by Ecuador and that the company is currently in the process of determining who was responsible for the contamination. Negasmart did not respond to a request for comment.

Ms. Brody said the FDA’s notices and company statements about the recall so far have left an important question unanswered: Which company shipped the cinnamon, which is typically imported from Asia, and where else is it used?

“Do we receive contaminated cinnamon from other companies?” she asked. “We need to know.”

The FDA said last month that it is screening cinnamon imports from “multiple countries for lead contamination,” and had no indication that contamination extended beyond the recalled applesauce pouches. It added that screenings had not identified any shipments with “higher lead levels” as of November 30.

The FDA’s policy on lead in foods consumed by children is less stringent than government standards for the cribs they sleep in, Ms. Brody said. Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of lead, which can damage their nervous systems and affect growth, learning and speech development.

In 2017, the FDA has made recommendations for the amount of lead in children’s candies after regulators in California discovered popular candies from Mexico contaminated by lead seeping from the brightly colored wrappers or by the chili powder used in some treats.

And earlier this year, the agency proposed maximum limits for lead in baby foods such as pureed fruit and dry cereal, after years of research showing that many processed products contain high levels of lead. The draft guidance, which is not mandatory for food manufacturers to follow, has not yet been finalized.

The agency has asked Congress for more power to address the problem, the agency said bills for 2024. The requests include the authority to set mandatory limits on food contamination, noting that under current law “the FDA has limited tools to help reduce exposure to toxic elements in the food supply.”

In its congressional request, the agency also noted that the food industry “is not required to test ingredients or finished products” intended to be consumed by infants or children, and sought the authority to require food manufacturers to test for toxic elements.

New York state applies a lead limit in spices, which has led to a number of product recalls in recent years.

California is following New York’s lead and taking a more aggressive stance on testing for heavy metals, especially in baby food. From January, manufacturers of food for children under the age of two must test a sample of each product once a month for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. Manufacturers will also have to share the results with California health regulators if requested.

By January 2025, baby food manufacturers will be required to publicly publish the results of their tests.

Weis Markets, which removed the affected cinnamon applesauce pouches from its shelves in late October, said in a statement that it was the manufacturer’s responsibility to test the applesauce pouches on “multiple items” and “certify that the products are wholesome and unadulterated.” ”

Weis said another company, Purcell International in California, which imported the applesauce pouches from Ecuador, was also responsible for testing the product’s safety. Purcell did not respond to an email seeking comment.