"Give me convenience or give me [child] death!" —Dead Kennedys
Or why not have both? Two birds, one stone.
This week in “the latest agricultural industry poisoning of the American public,” we have a heartbreaking account of mass lead poisoning of the nation’s youth via imported applesauce.
Related: Are Cheerios Chemically Castrating the American Public?
Via Food Safety News (emphasis added):
The FDA has confirmed that lead chromate is the source of lead and chromium in cinnamon applesauce marketed for children and imported from Ecuador.
Leaders at the FDA continue to believe the contamination was intentional.
The Food and Drug Administration had already confirmed that applesauce samples had as much as 2,000 times the amount of lead considered safe.
Three brands of cinnamon applesauce were recalled in November of 2023 because of lead contamination.
Here’s an excerpt from the referenced FDA press release issued on November 9, 2023:
WanaBana USA is voluntarily recalling all lots of WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Purée pouches due to reports of elevated levels of lead found in certain units of the product…
WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Purée Pouches were distributed nationwide through online and retail stores. The affected product information is WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree in 3-pack pouches of 2.5 oz…
The product is also distributed independently in the US as private label brands under the names of Schnucks Apple Sauce 90g pouches with cinnamon. The affected Schnucks lots subject of the product recall were identified as 05023:19, 09023:22 and 09023:24. To date, there have been no injuries reported related to Schnucks products. Photos of the Schnuck product is attached.
In addition, Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce 90g, reported an affected lot number 05023:28, which is also included in the product recall.
The suspected reason for the astronomical levels of lead in the children’s applesauce is that the heavy metal adds weight and color to the products, thereby increasing their value and fetching higher prices.
Continuing via Food Safety News:
Historically, lead chromate has been illegally added to certain spices to increase their weight and color, increasing the monetary value of the adulterated spices. FDA’s leading hypothesis remains that this was likely an act of economically motivated adulteration.”
The FDA has limited regulatory power over foreign ingredient suppliers who do not directly ship their products to the United States. Consequently, the FDA cannot take direct action against Negasmart, the supplier of the cinnamon to the Ecuadorean applesauce manufacturer Austrofoods, or Carlos Aguilera, the processor of the cinnamon sticks…
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are now 468 patients spread across 44 states. That’s up from the 422 patients identified in the previous update on Feb. 13. The FDA has logged 90 children with adverse reactions. Some of the patients from the CDC and FDA tallies may overlap.
At this point, it’s best practice to avoid any and all processed food, no exceptions. There are no brakes on the chemical crazy train.
Of course, I’m guilty of not always following my own advice, and I’m not judging overworked parents who reach for the pre-made meal out of convenience. But that convenience comes at a cost.
