The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a safety alert advising parents and caregivers not to buy or feed WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches to children because products may contain elevated levels of lead and also is urging that a child’s healthcare provider be contacted about having a blood test if the product has been consumed recently.
The action comes as a result of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) discovering four children with elevated blood lead levels, according to the FDA, leading to additional investigation.
They agency says that “lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status. Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health.”
Lead exposure in children is often difficult to see, the FDA reports, with most children having no obvious immediate symptoms.
WanaBana has agreed to voluntarily recall all of its apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, regardless of expiration, with the product having been sold nationally by Dollar Tree, Sam’s Club, Amazon and others. The recall applies to all lot codes and expiration dates of the company’s apple cinnamon fruit pureeh.
Further information, including potential symptoms and short and long term impacts, is available at https://bit.ly/3FDazmQ.