At Least 22 Toddlers in 14 States Sickened by Lead in Applesauce Pouches

Parents should be mindful of headaches, abdominal pain, colic, vomiting and anemia if their children have consumed applesauce products recently

More than 20 toddlers have become sick after consuming now-recalled applesauce pouches that contain elevated levels of lead, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday.

Across 14 different states, at least 22 kids between the ages of one and three have been reported as having high blood lead levels, the CDC said. The states that have reported the children’s illnesses include Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Washington.

The children have been reported to have between four to 29 micrograms of lead per deciliter — the CDC says children with blood results over 3.5 micrograms per deciliter have elevated levels.

This recent influx in sick toddlers follows the  U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall of several brands of apple cinnamon pouches, including include WanaBana, Schnuck and Weis applesauce.

The CDC recommends consumers do not buy, eat, sell or serve recalled products.

The various applesauce brands are sold both online and in-store. The FDA shared in the recall announcement that because the products have a long shelf life consumers should check their homes and discard any remaining pouches.

The recall began with Wanabana on Oct. 31, when the brand voluntarily recalled all the Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree Pouches after there were four children with elevated blood levels. On Oct. 28, the four toddlers in North Carolina indicated potential acute lead toxicity, which led the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) to investigate the incidents.

Shortly thereafter, on Nov. 9, the FDA expanded its recall to inform consumers of recalled Schnucks and Weis cinnamon applesauce pouches.

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Since the Thursday announcement, 22 cases have been reported and the FDA has begun to work with state partners to evaluate additional applesauce and fruit puree pouches. “At this time, sample analyses have not shown elevated levels of lead in any non-recalled products,” said the FDA.

The FDA said that most children may not have obvious nor immediate lead exposure symptoms, but if parents suspect their child may have been exposed to lead, they should take their child to a healthcare provider for a blood test.

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In addition to parents staying mindful of any lead poisoning symptoms, the CDC also asked doctors to note and report lead poisonings to local health authorities.

For short-term lead exposure, parents should be mindful of the following symptoms: headache, abdominal pain, colic, vomiting and anemia.

Long-term lead exposure could include the aforementioned symptoms as well as irritability, lethargy, fatigue, muscle aches, muscle prickling, muscle burning, muscular exhaustion occasional abdominal discomfort, constipation, difficulty concentrating, tremors and weight loss.

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