UPDATE: Recalled Applesauce Products Intentionally Tainted With Lead?

U.S. health officials are investigating the possibility that recalled applesauce products were intentionally contaminated with lead.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously issued a warning to parents and caregivers “not to buy or feed WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches to children because the product may contain elevated levels of lead.”

In total, three brands of recalled cinnamon apple puree and applesauce caused dozens of American children to become sick.

The FDA received at least 65 reports of adverse events potentially linked to the recalled products.

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it has identified a total of 125 cases from 22 states across the nation,” The Epoch Times noted.

“WanaBana, Schnucks, or Weis-brand apple cinnamon pouches — manufactured by Ecuador-based Austrofood — were recalled in November for elevated lead levels as lead poisoning cases started to increase across the country,” Fox Business reports.

The FDA told Fox Business that it’s investigating if the contamination was “economically motivated.”

“The FDA can confirm that one of the theories the agency is exploring regarding the high lead levels in the recalled cinnamon applesauce pouches is the potential that the cinnamon contamination occurred as a possible result of economically motivated adulteration,” an FDA spokesperson told the outlet.

The investigation is ongoing and the agency hasn’t reached a conclusion.

Applesauce Pouches May Have Been Intentionally Contaminated With Lead: FDA https://t.co/Em9nt4ff0g

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) December 19, 2023

More from Fox Business:

Separately, the CDC reported that it has received over 200 reports of cases from state and local health departments nationwide.

The FDA said samples of cinnamon supplied by Negasmart to Austrofoods revealed “extremely high levels of lead contamination of about 5110 parts per million (ppm) and 2270 ppm.”

For context, the FDA said the Codex Alimentarius Commission — an international food standards body established jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization — is considering adopting a maximum level of 2.5 ppm for lead in bark spices, including cinnamon, in 2024.

The FDA said it is “relying on officials in Ecuador to support the investigation into Negasmart.”

However, the agency has confirmed that the company doesn’t ship product directly to the U.S. Only Austrofoods, one of Negasmart’s direct customers, ships product to the U.S.

WATCH:

Three brands of cinnamon applesauce fruit pouches are under recall amid a surge in suspected lead poisoning. The FDA says the number of affected individuals has nearly doubled in the past week, reaching at least 205 cases. pic.twitter.com/Mwe7L8vqM7

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) December 20, 2023

The Epoch Times reports:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first reported adverse events in children as young as 1 year old in October. The agency has since launched an inspection at a plant in Ecuador that produced the cinnamon-flavored applesauce products.

Jim Jones, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for Human Foods, told Politico in an interview published on Dec. 14 that although the investigation is still ongoing, investigators believe the adulteration may have been “an intentional act.”

“We’re still in the midst of our investigation. But so far all of the signals we’re getting lead to an intentional act on the part of someone in the supply chain and we’re trying to sort of figure that out,” Mr. Jones said.

“My instinct is they didn’t think this product was going to end up in a country with a robust regulatory process,” he added. “They thought it was going to end up in places that did not have the ability to detect something like this.”

The affected products were marketed to parents and children under the brands WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree and Schnucks- and Weis-branded cinnamon applesauce pouches. They were sold nationwide by grocery chains such as Dollar Tree, as well as online retailers such as Amazon.

Here was our prior report when we first warned you:

Recall Alert: Popular Baby Fruit Pouch Contains Lead

The popular baby food brand WanaBana has voluntarily recalled its apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches after the FDA warned the product has tested positive for “extremely high concentrations of lead.”

The FDA advised all parents who has a baby or toddler that have consumed WanaBana puree pouches to “contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test.”

According to the CDC “Lead is toxic to humans and exposure to the substance can lead to developmental delays in children.”

WanaBana has been sold at several big time retailers such as Sam’s Club, Amazon and Dollar Tree.

WanaBana fruit pouches found to have ‘extremely high’ levels of lead, FDA warns https://t.co/beLABOuza8

— FOX 5 DC (@fox5dc) October 30, 2023

Per CNN:

The US Food and Drug Administration is warning parents against buying a brand of fruit puree pouches for their children after the snacks were found to have high levels of lead, the agency said.

Lead was found in WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, which are sold nationally at multiple retailers, including Sam’s Club, Amazon and Dollar Tree, the FDA said.

“Parents and caregivers of toddlers and young children who may have consumed WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches should contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test,” the FDA said.

Lead is toxic to humans and exposure to the substance can lead to developmental delays in children. Symptoms of lead exposure include headaches, abdominal pain, vomiting, anemia, muscle aches, irritability and fatigue, the agency said.

The FDA is urging parents who have fed their children WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree to get blood tests, as the product may contain elevated levels of lead. https://t.co/8wqQVQRIYB

— CBS News (@CBSNews) October 30, 2023

Check out what The New York Post reported:

WanaBana voluntarily recalled all of its apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches after the Food and Drug Administration warned that they contain “extremely high concentrations of lead.”

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If any youngster has consumed the WanaBana puree product — which is especially popular among toddlers and young children who have trouble chewing and swallowing — the FDA advised parents to “contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test.”

Lead, which is toxic to humans, is especially difficult to spot in children, who may experience slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems or hearing and speech problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. No safe blood lead level in children has been identified,” the CDC warned, noting that children can be exposed to lead by swallowing, touching or even breathing in the metal.

WanaBana fruit pouches recalled as FDA warns of ‘extremely high’ lead levels https://t.co/UjLM5dL7Fa pic.twitter.com/aFXHmD9LgJ

— New York Post (@nypost) October 30, 2023

RELATED:

BREAKING: Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead Found In Major Brand Name Spices!

If you don’t like eating literal “Rat Poison” with your salt and pepper, then pay attention…

This is a major consumer products alert!

Do you love to cook with spices?

Of course, who doesn’t?

Variety is the spice of life, and spices are the, uhhhh, spice of cooking!

But what happens when you reach for the Onion Powder or the Oregano, and along with those you get a heavy dose of Arsenic?

Arsenic would otherwise be known as literal “rat poison”.

Or Cadmium, which is a heavy metal.

Or Lead!

You know how we can no longer use lead-based-paint or leaded gasoline because of how toxic it is to humans?

What if the big companies had been putting it in your spices all along and you didn’t even know?

What if one of the reasons you constantly feel tired, slow and unmotivated is because you’re slowly being poisoned by what you eat?

It’s a Red Alert situation, and I’m here to not only give you the bad news but also to give you a solution!

I never like to leave you with only the bad news, so keep reading and I’ll give you the solution to fix this for yourself and your family.

Check this out:

“The analysis found that roughly one-third of the tested products (40) had ‘high enough levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium combined… to pose a health concern for children’… and adults.”

Holy crap. Spice companies are literally poisoning Americans!https://t.co/FoEbMCtW7x

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) March 26, 2023

Literally poisoning Americans:

“Lead, arsenic, and cadmium can increase the risk of cancer, cognitive and reproductive problems, and other adverse conditions—even in small amounts. Exposure puts children at risk for lowered IQ, behavioral problems (such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), Type 2…

— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) March 26, 2023

Maybe you’re not just tired, maybe you’re being slowly poisoned like that one episode of Dateline I saw where the woman poisoned her husband by feeding him small doses of antifreeze each day for a whole year.

Anyone else see that episode?

Except the wife is played by the Big Consumer Goods Companies that hate you and you’re the dying husband.

Sorry folks, I’m not making this stuff up, I’m just reporting the news.

According to this report, OVER ONE-THIRD of 126 large big-brand products tested had EXCESSIVE heavy metal levels:

No I’m not saying heavy metals are excessive in all your store bought spices, I’m saying over a third of 126 varied brands products tested have excessive heavy metals levels. pic.twitter.com/rBrqD5XvMd

— Whip (@WhipSpoon) April 1, 2023

FOUR Lawsuits have been filed already:

Four lawsuits have been filed over the last two years over significant levels of #toxic #HeavyMetals in big brand names of #herbs and #spices. An analysis by Consumer Reports (CR) in 2021 detailed the problem. https://t.co/ooFp6MuIec

— Epoch Health (@EpochHealth1) March 26, 2023

From Popular Mechanics:

In new research, Consumer Reports tested a total of 126 products from stores like Walmart and Trader Joe’s and found that 40 “had high enough levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium combined, on average, to pose a health concern for children when regularly consumed in typical serving sizes.” Beyond big-brand names like McCormick and private labels, the offenders also include spices and herbs from the beloved Wauwatosa, Wisconsin-based brand Penzeys.

It’s important to note that there is no safe amount of lead, especially for children. That’s because our bodies don’t have a way to digest heavy metals, so they can easily accumulate in the body, physically interfering with other processes. (Remember when Entourage’s Jeremy Piven blamed a public outburst on mercury poisoning because he’d been subsisting on only sushi?)

“In children, [lead] can affect brain development, increasing the risk for behavioral problems and lower IQ,” Consumer Reports explains in the report, published last month. “In adults, it can contribute to central nervous system problems, reproductive problems, and hypertension, and can damage kidney and immune function.”

Lead in foodstuffs is usually tested through a standard protocol laid out by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), known colloquially as “EAM 4.7.” EAM stands for Elemental Analysis Manual for Food and Related Products. “This resource serves as a reference, for analysts at the FDA and around the world, providing not only general analytical information and procedures and detailed laboratory methods, but also helpful notes from analysts’ experiences using these methods,” the FDA explains online. In this testing, an acid chemically “digests” foods before they’re fed through a mass spectrometer machine that identifies the chemical signatures of different elements.

Which Herbs and Spices Contained High Levels of Lead?

Consumer Reports tested a total of 126 products across 38 brands, using two or three samples for each product. They ranked products from least to most concerning with the following system: no concern, some concern, moderate concern, and high concern. Here are the products that ranked as moderate or high concern:

• La Flor Ground Oregano
• La Flor Ground Turmeric
• Happy Belly (Amazon) Ground Thyme
• Spice Islands Sweet Basil
• Tone’s Ground Thyme

And from Consumer Reports:

Roughly one-third of the tested products, 40 in total, had high enough levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium combined, on average, to pose a health concern for children when regularly consumed in typical serving sizes. Most raised concern for adults, too.

For two herbs, thyme and oregano, all the products we tested had levels that CR experts say are concerning.

In 31 products, levels of lead were so high that they exceeded the maximum amount anyone should have in a day, according to CR’s experts.

When people think about heavy metals in their diet it’s probably the lead in their drinking water. But our tests show that dried herbs and spices can be a surprising, and worrisome, source.

Also troubling: There was no single predictor of which products contained higher levels of heavy metals—for example, brand name didn’t matter, and neither did “organic” or “packed in USA” claims.

Now, as I promised….let’s talk solutions.

I NEVER leave you with just the problem.

You know I’ve got the solution!

In fact, this is EXACTLY why I started my new Mission back in February.

The new mission is simply this: to help build out the Parallel-Economy.

Because here’s what I realized…

You THINK you have a choice between all these companies listed below in the circle, but what most people don’t realize is they’re all owned by only 11 companies.  

11.

Interesting number.

Will probably be even less than that in the future when these merge even further.

It’s an ILLUSION of choice.

The same goes for all your media…

It’s just an ILLUSION of different choices, but owned by these 6 companies:

Now back to my Mission and my solution.

I figured I would eventually need to build a Parallel-Economy from the ground up.

I knew that would be a ton of work.

So it was on my back-burner.

In fact, it had been there on my back-burner since about 2016.

Until suddenly, in January of 2023, I connected with a company I had never heard of before….but they’re MASSIVE.

They’ve been in business for over 35 years and they’re a VERY pro-American, pro-Liberty, pro-Conservative values company!

They’re an American based, Made-In-America, warehoused-in-America, shipped-from-America company!

In fact, they’re the last private, family-owned, pro-American consumer goods company left in America NOT owned by those 11 companies I showed you above.

Oh, and what if I told you the products are BETTER and often CHEAPER than what you get from those 11 companies above?

Yes, for real.

And their founder was once placed on Barack Hussein Obama’s list of the Top 10 most “Dangerous Conservatives” in America?

(a list I one day hope to make myself!)

Once I learned all of that, I knew I no longer had to build this from the ground-up by myself, I simply needed to partner with this awesome company to help them get the word out.

So on top of being the last Family-owned major consumer goods manufacturer not part of the Big-11, comparable or often lower prices, supporting American jobs and families, here’s the part that ties in to the main point of this article”.

Non-toxic products!

That means no Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead in their Spices!

Which really, if we’re being honest, should be the bare minimum for everyone, right?

Stunning I even have to tell you that, but I guess I do!

But it also means no Red Dye 40 or flouride in the toothpaste or chemicals in the cleaning products, or Deet in the mosquito repellant.

What novel concepts, right?

Oh, and Black Angus beef, pasture raised on hundreds of thousands of acres.

Free roaming with plenty of open air between all the cattle.

Grass fed.

No hormones and no antibiotics.  Never!

Oh, and it’s CHEAPER than Omaha Steaks!

But that’s a whole other topic!

Sound good to anyone else?

Me too!