Officials have identified the company responsible for exporting contaminated cinnamon tied to the hospitalizations of around 400 American children.
Ecuador’s food safety agency ARCSA stated that Carlos Aguilera, a cinnamon processor, provided the spice used in WanaBana’s apple puree pouches. Tests showed Carlos Aguilera’s cinnamon contained excessive lead and chromium.
The raw cinnamon sticks originated from Sri Lanka and tested clean. However, at some point in Carlos Aguilera’s processing, dangerous heavy metals were introduced. ARCSA’s probe is ongoing, and the supplier is currently nonoperational.
FDA has limited authority over ingredient suppliers who do not ship their products directly to the U.S. Because the finished pouches, but not the cinnamon itself, were shipped to the U.S., the agency cannot take direct action against Negasmart or Carlos Aguilera, officials said.
The pouches were sold under three brands — WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis. The products were produced at a plant in Ecuador and first imported to the U.S. in November 2022, the officials said.
Officials have raised the possibility that the ingredient supplier introduced the lead intentionally.
“The intent is not to make people sick. Nobody wants to do that because then they get caught,” explained Karen Everstine of FoodchainID. “What they want to do is make money.”
Substances like lead oxide or lead chromate can be used to artificially enhance cinnamon’s color and market value. But ingesting lead irreparably damages children’s developing brains.
“It’s irritability. It’s behavioral concerns. It’s learning difficulties,” Dr. Jennifer Sample, a pediatric toxicologist, told the Associated Press.
Lead replaces key nutrients in the brain, causing permanent deficits. Early intervention including nutritional therapy could offset further harm.
However, treatment is difficult, especially for infants.
Parents like Mustafa Al-Khaled — a Nebraska-based engineer — have already filed lawsuits, though. However, they may take years, and his 17-month-old son faces an uncertain future.
While the investigation continues, the pouches in question came from a single Ecuadorian factory and entered America last November. For now, avoiding further lead exposures constitutes the best standard of care for affected families. But the origins of the contamination, whether accidental or intentional, remain uncertain.
“As a parent, it’s really hurtful to be in this situation,” said Al-Khaled, who is among about a dozen parents of affected kids who contacted Ron Simon, a Houston food-safety lawyer who filed the case against WanaBanana LLC. “Why I’m here is to protect this child.”
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The Associated Press contributed to this article.