FDA screening cinnamon imports after fruit pouch contamination

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it’s now screening shipments of cinnamon coming into the US to see if they contain lead. The move comes after pouches of puréed fruit were linked to illnesses and later recalled.

As of Nov. 16, more than 30 cases of elevated blood lead levels were reported. Experts say they’re linked to recalled cinnamon applesauce fruit pouches. The recalled fruit pouches were manufactured in Ecuador and sold under WanaBana, Weis and Schnucks brands, the FDA says.

When scientists tested the suspected products, they found that the fruit pouches contained very high levels of lead. Being exposed to lead is linked with behavior, learning and health problems. There’s no known safe level of lead.

The WanaBana, Weis and Schnucks fruit purée pouches that don’t contain cinnamon are not part of the recall. When evaluated, they didn’t show elevated levels of lead.

The FDA found elevated levels of lead in one finished product sample of WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Puree collected from Dollar Tree. The lead level detected was 2.18 parts per million (ppm), which is “more than 200 times greater than the action level the FDA has proposed in draft guidance for fruit purees and similar products intended for babies and young children,” an FDA document said. 

FDA officials suspect that the cinnamon is the source of lead contamination and illness. But they haven’t been able to test the cinnamon directly used in the products. They’re trying to pinpoint where the cinnamon was sourced from with officials in Ecuador.

At this time, the FDA is not aware of any other reports of illness or elevated blood lead level reported for other cinnamon-containing products or cinnamon.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that doctors test children who have eaten a recalled applesauce pouch for lead exposure. 

Symptoms of lead exposure in the short term include:

• Headache
• Abdominal pain/Colic
• Vomiting
• Anemia

Some long-term symptoms of lead exposure include:

• Irritability
• Lethargy
• Fatigue
• Muscle aches or muscle prickling/burning
• Occasional abdominal discomfort
• Constipation
• Difficulty concentrating/Muscular exhaustibility
• Headache
• Tremor
• Weight loss