Every so often, parents hear scary news that lead or other
metals have been found in baby foods made with rice, fruit or vegetables. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned people not to eat certain brands of cinnamon applesauce pouches because they had lead in them.
At least 90 confirmed cases of high blood lead levels have been reported, mostly in babies and young children who ate the recalled applesauce and apple puree pouches. These cases were reported in more than two dozen states. View a list of the recalled pouches
here.
The FDA traced the source of lead to cinnamon used in the products. A cinnamon applesauce product sample that was tested by the FDA had 200 times more lead than the FDA allows in food.
The lead-contaminated ground and powdered cinnamon was provided by a distributor in Ecuador to another company in Ecuador that used the cinnamon in the applesauce pouches. The FDA is screening shipments of cinnamon from outside of the U.S. for lead.
Ground cinnamon
alert: In March 2024, the U.S. Food & Drug
Administration issued an
alert about ground
cinnamon sold by a number of brands at six different retail chains. Samples of
these products were tested by the FDA and were found to contain elevated levels
of lead. The FDA is urging people not to eat the recalled ground cinnamon
products with the brands and lot codes listed
here.
Is there chromium in the applesauce too?
The FDA announced that the lead-contaminated applesauce also contained
chromium. Chromium is a metal naturally found in the earth and we eat, drink and breathe it in every day. Some chromium is vital in the body and it is an essential nutrient, but too much of bad forms of chromium can make people sick. For most kids, the amount of chromium in these packets isn’t enough to be dangerous.
What should I do if my child ate the recalled applesauce?
The most important step is to stop your child from getting any more exposure to lead. If you have the recalled applesauce, open each pouch and empty the contents into a trash can and throw away the empty packages.
If your child has a eaten recalled fruit pouch, talk to your child's pediatrician or nurse about
getting a blood test for lead. Anyone with symptoms or exposure to this product can report the complaint or adverse event to the FDA. Your regional poison control center (1-800-222-1222) or
Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit can also help.
How does lead get into applesauce?
Metals like lead, arsenic and mercury are found on the earth and get on plants through pollution in the air or water. Sometimes, vitamins added to foods may be contaminated by lead. Lead may also be found in tanks used in international spice processing. Unfortunately, in other countries, lead pigments may be added to spices to improve their color, or lead may be added to spices to increase their weight. That's why there is a need for careful testing by importing food companies.
Lead is dangerous
Lead is a poison that acts like a burglar. The ways it enters our homes can be sneaky. It lurks around and can try to rob children of their full potential.
How are high blood lead levels diagnosed and treated?
The only way to find lead in children is with a blood test. Most children with high lead levels won't look sick, but even small amounts can be harmful to the brain and make it harder for kids to learn or to control their behavior.
Larger amounts of lead can lead to headache, irritability, constipation, crampy
stomachaches or other problems. Severe lead poisoning can cause seizures or coma. When lead poisoning is severe, doctors may recommend medicine to lower a child's blood lead levels.
What are other common places children find lead?
Dust from lead house paint is still the biggest lead hazard in the United States. We stopped using lead in house paint after 1978, so older homes pose a risk.
The U.S. tries to watch food and toys to make sure they're safe from lead—that's how it was found in the recalled applesauce pouches. It is also commonly found in imported
spices, candies, cosmetics or nutritional supplements. Soil may contain lead from old gasoline and industrial sources.
Lead also lurks in service lines carrying water to homes and lead solder used in plumbing. Some jobs, like ship or bridge painting or metal recycling or construction can lead to lead exposure. Lead may be found in antique woodwork or in ceramic glazes. Some hobbies, like going to gun shooting ranges or making stained glass, may have lead hazards, too.
Remember
The most important "treatment" for your child is to prevent further exposure to lead. Parents can help their children by giving them a good healthy diet with plenty of calcium and iron, helping them get good sleep and by "exercising" their brains through reading and puzzles.
More Information