The FDA has issued a warning letter to Austrofood about lead and chromium in the cinnamon used to make apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches that were recalled in 2023. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, the Maryland Department of Health, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture conducted lab analysis of multiple lots of those pouches and found extremely high levels of lead.
In addition, after an inspection in the company’s facility in Ecuador, FDA investigators found serious violations of the Current Good Manufacturing Practices, Hazard Analysis, and Risk Based Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation. A hazard analysis was not conducted before the recall.
Considering that food manufacturers should know that lead is a hazard, especially in foods that are manufactured for children, a knowledgeable person at the Austrofood facility would identify lead in cinnamon as a hazard requiring a preventive control. There are 90 children sick with symptoms of lead poisoning after eating the recalled apple cinnamon fruit purees.
The FDA is also working with state partners to sample ground cinnamon at the retail level for levels of lead. Public health alerts have been issued recently.
If your child consumed any of the recalled products, talk to your pediatrician about getting them tested for lead. There is no safe level of lead consumption, and over time, the harmful effects can include reduced IQ and learning disabilities.
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.
