Intentional Act Suspected in Contaminated Applesauce Pouches
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that the recent recall of applesauce pouches due to lead poisoning may have been a deliberate act of contamination. According to FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones, the investigation is ongoing, but all signs point to an intentional act to poison the puree.
The recalled pouches were sold under the Weis, WanaBana, and Schnucks brands, all of which have ties to a manufacturing facility in Ecuador. This facility is currently under inspection by the FDA as part of the ongoing investigation.
Jones suggested that the facility may not have believed the contaminated applesauce would have ended up in countries with stringent regulatory processes. He stated, “My instinct is they didn’t think this product was going to end up in a country with a robust regulatory process. They thought it was going to end up in places that did not have the ability to detect something like this.”
The FDA is considering various theories as to why and by whom the applesauce was contaminated, but the agency currently believes it was economically motivated. Ingredients may have been altered to make the products appear higher in value in order to sell them for a higher price.
The recall was prompted after state and local officials noticed elevated levels of lead in children from standard blood screenings, leading to concerns about lead exposure in children under the age of 6. Jones expressed the FDA’s commitment to finding those responsible and holding them accountable.
It was also revealed that the FDA has limited authority over foreign ingredient suppliers that do not directly ship products to the U.S., as their food undergoes further manufacturing/processing prior to export.
Despite existing food safety laws in the United States, intentional contamination is difficult to stop entirely, according to Jones. The investigation into the contaminated applesauce pouches remains ongoing, and the FDA continues to pursue leads to ensure public safety.
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