Dollar Tree Is Under Fire For Failing To Remove Recalled Applesauce Pouches
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Back in October of last year, applesauce pouches from multiple brands were recalled for containing potentially dangerous amounts of lead. By March, the CDC had received over 500 reports, 136 of them confirmed, of elevated blood lead levels linked to the recalled products. And now, Dollar Tree is under fire from the Food and Drug Administration for failing to remove the recalled products from shelves.
The recalled items included WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Schnucks-brand cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches, and Weis-brand cinnamon applesauce pouches. The WanaBana products were the ones sold at Dollar Tree, in addition to Amazon and other retailers.
According to USA Today, investigators from the FDA discovered that the recalled products had 2.18 parts per million of lead. "The finding was 200 times more than what the FDA proposed as an action level in draft guidance for baby food," the newspaper reported.
The FDA concluded that the culprit was cinnamon used in the recalled applesauce pouches. When they tested non-recalled products without cinnamon, the results did not show any lead.
On June 11, the FDA issued a warning letter to the chain after finding the products on shelves during an audit.
"Despite numerous attempts to bring this serious issue to your attention, your firm continued to offer adulterated Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches on store shelves, leaving children at risk of exposure to these adulterated products," the FDA said in the letter.
Dollar Tree has 15 working days to share detailed steps they've taken to address the violations. On June 18, Dollar Tree updated a document on its website about its process for executing recalls.
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