PENNSYLVANIA — The Pennsylvania Department of Health recently issued an urgent alert to parents and caregivers following a recall by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has recommended against buying or feeding WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches to children due to potential elevated lead levels. This recall applies to all lot codes and expiration dates.
The FDA secured a voluntary recall from the manufacturer, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health is urging residents to heed this advice. The department also maintains a toll-free lead information hotline (1-800-440-LEAD) to provide essential information about lead poisoning prevention, testing, follow-up, and local resources.
WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches are sold nationally through multiple retailers, including Sam’s Club, Amazon, and Dollar Tree. Following the FDA’s alert, WanaBana has agreed to voluntarily recall all their apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, regardless of expiration dates.
The FDA’s advice comes on the back of concerns that the product may contain elevated levels of lead. Parents and caregivers of toddlers and young children who may have consumed these pouches are urged to contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test.
Lead exposure can have devastating effects on humans, regardless of age or health status. It is particularly critical to protect children from exposure to lead to ensure lifelong good health. Lead exposure in children is often difficult to see as most children show no immediate symptoms. However, short-term exposure to lead could result in symptoms such as headache, abdominal pain, colic, vomiting, and anemia. Longer-term exposure could result in additional symptoms such as irritability, lethargy, fatigue, muscle aches, constipation, difficulty concentrating, tremors, and weight loss.
The FDA was recently alerted to a developing investigation by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS). The investigation was launched following four children showing elevated blood lead levels, indicating potential acute lead toxicity. WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches were identified as a potential shared source of exposure.
The NCDHHS investigation involved analyzing multiple lots of WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree and detected extremely high concentrations of lead. The FDA reviewed and supports NCDHHS’s analytical findings and found that analytical results at this level could result in acute toxicity. Consequently, the FDA shared the results with the firm, whose representatives agreed to voluntarily recall all WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches.
As a result of these findings, the FDA issued a public health alert advising parents and caregivers against purchasing or feeding WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches to toddlers and young children. The FDA stated that it is continuing to work with state officials and the firm, collecting additional information, and taking steps to remove all contaminated product from the market. The Pennsylvania Department of Health stated that it fully supports these measures and urges Pennsylvanians to take heed of this important public health alert.
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