Carlos Aguilera supplied the cinnamon that were used to make WanaBana fruit purees that caused many lead poisoning illnesses, according to the FDA. Ecuadorian officials in Agencia Nacional de Regulación, Control y Vigilancia Sanitaria (ARCSA) are reporting this discovery. Carlos Aguilera, located in Ecuador, is the processor of the ground cinnamon supplied by Negasmart to Austrofoods and was later used in the recalled WanaBana apple cinnamon products.
The unprocessed cinnamon sticks used in the recalled products were sourced from Sri Lanka and were sampled by ARCSA and found to have no lead contamination. The investigation is ongoing.
The FDA has limited authority over foreign ingredient suppliers who do not ship directly to the United States, so they cannot take direct action with Negasmart or Carlos Aguilera.
As of February 5, 2024, the FDA has not received any more confirmed reports of lead poisoning potentially linked to the recalled WanaBana cinnamon fruit puree products. FDA has no indication that this issue extends beyond the already recalled products.
The case count by state is: Alabama (1), Arkansas (1), Arizona (1), California (1), Connecticut (1), Florida (1), Georgia (2), Iowa (1), Illinois (5), Indiana (1), Kentucky (3), Louisiana (4), Massachusetts (3), Maryland (7), Michigan (8), Missouri (3), North Carolina (6), Nebraska (2), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (1), New Mexico (1), New York (8), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (2), South Carolina (2), Tennessee (3), Texas (3), Virginia (2), Washington (4), Wisconsin (2), West Virginia (3), and Unknown (3). Adverse event reports range from October 17, 2023 to January 16, 2024. The patient age range is between zero and 53 years. The median patient age is one year old.
As of February 2, 2024, the CDC has received reports of 100 confirmed cases, 277 probable cases, and 36 suspected cases for a total of 413 cases from 43 different state. Their reporting structure is different from the FDA’s, so the case counts are different.
If you purchased any of the recalled WanaBana products, do not give them to your children. Discard them by opening the package and putting the contents into a trash can, so others can’t retrieve the full package from the can to sell or use.
If your child ate these products, talk to your pediatrician about getting a test for blood lead levels.
If you have been sickened with a food poisoning infection, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors.
