Dollar Tree left lead-contaminated applesauce containers on store shelves for weeks after recall, FDA says

Dollar Tree failed to effectively recall lead-tainted applesauce pouches linked to reports of illness in more than 500 children, leaving the products on some store shelves for two months, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. fair.

The FDA sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree this month and placed Negasmart, the Ecuadorian distributor of WanaBana apple and cinnamon pouches, under import alerts following the October 2023 recall of products found to be contaminated with “extremely high” levels of lead. and chrome.

Children in 44 states had probable or confirmed cases of elevated blood lead levels after eating pouches of applesauce marketed to young children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The outbreak was declared over in April.

FDA officials sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree Inc. last week, saying WanaBana applesauce products remained on store shelves in several states until the end of December, two months after the company was informed of the recall. Officials with the Chesapeake, Va.-based company said they banned the sale of the products on the books, but the FDA said that was “not an effective measure” because at least one child in Washington state ate a package of fruit recalled in a store before attempting to purchase.

Dollar Tree officials said in an email Tuesday that the company is operating under new management and taking steps to strengthen its process “to execute product recalls quickly and effectively.” The company operates more than 16,000 discount stores in 48 states.

Negasmart was placed under several import alerts this month, although FDA officials said they have no indication that the company is trying to import products into the US. The action aims to ensure that any attempt by the company to import products is “flagged” by FDA Reviewers and prevented from reaching consumers. Tests have shown that cinnamon tested in the plant had lead levels more than 2,000 times the maximum level proposed by the FDA.

Anyone who has consumed the recovered bags should consult a healthcare professional, the CDC said. There is no safe level of lead consumption, which can cause serious learning and behavior problems, the agency emphasized.

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 have a long useful life, they can still be in consumers’ homes. Consumers should not eat or serve the bags and should discard them.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.