Manitobans warned to watch for food recalls after child eats applesauce linked to illnesses in U.S.
Public health officials say Manitobans should stay up-to-date on food and product recalls on both sides of the border after a blood test showed high lead levels in a child who ate an applesauce linked to illnesses in the U.S.
The American Food and Drug Administration recalled several brands of cinnamon-apple snack pouches in early November due to high levels of lead in the brands WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis, a Wednesday news release from the province of Manitoba said.
The province says it became aware of a child in Manitoba who consumed the affected applesauce, because test results for lead levels in blood are reportable to public health.
The child did not suffer any negative symptoms related to lead exposure, but was taken to see a health-care professional after their caregiver became aware of the recalls, the province said. That resulted in the blood test.
Further details about the child, including their age or where they lived, won’t be provided, the news release said.
The FDA said U.S. food inspectors found cinnamon with “extremely high” lead levels — more than 2,000 times higher than the maximum level proposed by the agency — at a plant in Ecuador, which made the lead-tainted applesauce pouches, The Associated Press reported on Monday.
The affected brands of applesauce are not sold in Canada and should not be available in the U.S. by now, but the province says some Manitobans may have bought them before the FDA recall.
Anyone in Manitoba who may have the recalled applesauce should throw it away, the province says.
Manitobans who regularly shop in the U.S. are encouraged to stay up-to-date on current recalls from the FDA, or sign up for automatic notifications on the agency’s website, the province says.
Contamination may be intentional: FDA
The FDA says it continues to investigate how the cinnamon was contaminated.
As of Tuesday, the agency said it had received 69 reports of adverse effects potentially linked to recalled applesauce pouches. The reports all affected children under the age of six.
Tests show children who ate the pouches had blood lead readings up to eight times higher than the reference level that sparks concern, health officials said.
Jim Jones, who heads the agency’s human foods program, said in an interview with Politico last week that the lead contamination appeared to be “an intentional act.”
One theory is that the cinnamon may have been contaminated for economic reasons — which could mean an ingredient is added or subtracted from a food to boost its value, agency officials said.
For example, compounds like red brick, red lead salt, lead oxide and lead chromate, which mirror cinnamon’s red colour, have been added to increase the value of the spice, research shows.
Officials from the food agency said they “cannot take direct action” with the Ecuadorian plant and are relying on officials there to investigate the company’s actions.
