Dollar Tree Left Recalled Apple Sauce Pouches on Store Shelves Too Long, FDA Says

WEDNESDAY, June 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- After a recall was issued last year for lead-tainted applesauce pouches linked to illnesses in over 500 children, the discount retailer Dollar Tree failed to remove all products from store shelves for too long, federal officials said Tuesday. In a warning letter sent to the company, the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration said WanaBana apple puree products remained in stores in several states through late December, two months after Dollar Tree was first told about the recall. Officials at the Virginia-based company told the agency that it refused sales of the products at registers, but the FDA said that was “not an effective measure” because at least one child in Washington state ate a recalled fruit pouch in a store before a purchase was made. The recall effort first began in October 2023, when WanaBana recalled its fruit pouches over concerns about lead and chromium contamination.

Chromium is a carcinogen, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a seller of the pouches, Dollar Tree was notified of the recall. However, subsequent checks of stores "revealed that you continued to offer the recalled WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches on store shelves well after the recall was initiated, despite FDA’s numerous attempts to bring this serious issue to your attention," the agency said in its warning letter. "Exposure to lead at the levels found in the WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches c.