FDA Sends Warning Letter to Dollar Tree for Selling Lead-Tainted Product After Recall

A Dollar Tree in Bowie, Md., on Nov. 23, 2021. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree saying it failed to remove a recalled apple sauce product sold to children that was found to be contaminated with lead.

In the letter, the FDA said that Dollar Tree, which also operates Family Dollar, sold WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches weeks after Wanabana USA initiated a voluntary recall of all the products.

“Subsequent recall audit checks of your Dollar Tree and Family Dollar-Dollar Tree combination 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 the letter, which was dated on June 11 but released on the FDA website on Tuesday.

The federal health regulator then noted that the selling of “adulterated food” violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938.

FDA officials held multiple calls with Dollar Tree company executives to discuss efforts to remove and destroy the lead-tainted children’s food items after the recall was initiated in November 2023, according to the letter.

“To date, you have not provided FDA with any information demonstrating that long-term, sustainable corrections have been implemented throughout your organization to prevent adulterated food from being received in interstate commerce and subsequently offered for sale in the future,” the FDA wrote to Dollar Tree.

Officials “across many states” also saw the WanaBana product on Dollar Tree shelves in the months after the recall was initiated, the letter added. The products remained on store shelves in several states through late December 2023, it said.

Dollar Tree officials told news outlets on Tuesday that the company is operating under new management and will take steps to improve its rules around “quickly and effectively executing product recalls.”

A national recall of the WanaBana purees was announced by WanaBana in November 2023 after officials linked the products to dozens of lead poisoning cases in children. Testing later found that cinnamon used in the cinnamon flavor was the source of the lead.

Apple cinnamon products made by Schnucks, Weis, and several other companies also were found to have elevated levels of lead and chromium, said the FDA. Some 90 cases of lead poisoning were linked to puree pouches across 32 states, according to the FDA’s latest information.

Earlier this year, the FDA said that its analysis found that unsafe levels of lead were found in cinnamon manufactured by a company based in Ecuador.

“Historically, lead chromate has been illegally added to certain spices increase to their weight and enhance their color, which increases the monetary value of the adulterated spices,” the agency said. “FDA’s leading hypothesis remains that this was likely an act of economically motivated adulteration.”

Because the manufacturer is based in Ecuador, the FDA has “limited authority” to do anything about it, according to an updated notice. The agency has, however, placed several import alerts on Negasmart and Sanchez Obando Alexander Ricardo, the distributor of the cinnamon.

Dollar Tree is required to respond to the FDA warning letter within 15 days to detail corrective measures taken to remove the products. Otherwise, they could face legal action, including injunction and seizure, according to the FDA.

The Epoch Times contacted Dollar Tree for comment Tuesday. The firm has not yet issued a public statement in response to the FDA’s letter.

Shares of Dollar Tree, which purchased Family Dollar in 2015, shares fell 2 percentage points as of 2 p.m. ET. The company operates about 15,000 stores across the United States and Canada.

Lead Poisoning

Lead poisoning can have significant, lifelong impacts. That’s especially so for infants and younger children because they can absorb significantly more lead than adults, according to health authorities.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that high levels of lead can cause neurological issues such as a lower IQ, difficulty learning, and more trouble paying attention. Young children can also suffer brain and nervous system damage, slowed growth, and hearing or speech problems due to lead exposure, the agency warns.

According to the Mayo Clinic, lead poisoning can also occur due to a long-term buildup of the heavy metal inside the body after repeated exposure. In the short term, high levels of lead exposure can be deadly, it says.

In adults, lead poisoning symptoms include joint and muscle pain, high blood pressure, abdominal pain, mood disorders, miscarriage or stillbirth, and difficulties with concentration or memory, the clinic adds.