Applesauce pouches that gave children lead poisoning may have been contaminated on purpose, FDA says

• Applesauce that reportedly gave children lead poisoning may have been contaminated on purpose, the FDA said.
• The three similar products were recalled in November.

Contaminated applesauce pouches that reportedly gave at least 45 children lead poisoning may have been tainted on purpose, the Food and Drug Administration said on Friday.

WanaBana recalled its WanaBana, Weis, and Schnucks apple cinnamon fruit purée pouches and cinnamon apple sauce in November due to reportedly elevated lead levels.

The FDA's deputy commissioner for human foods, Jim Jones, said that signs point to an intentional act on the part of someone in the supply chain, Politico reported.

Jones added that an ongoing investigation seeks to uncover who may have tainted the products.

The pouches may have been subjected to "economically motivated adulteration," or "food fraud," the FDA said. This happens when a valuable ingredient is intentionally left out, taken out, or substituted without transparency.

The agency said one example of this is when lead-based dyes are introduced to alter the color of a product.

Lead is toxic to humans, and children should be protected from exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead poisoning is not always apparent, but symptoms of short-term exposure can include headaches, abdominal pain, vomiting, and anemia.

"As this is an ongoing investigation, the FDA can only confirm this is one of the theories at this time," an FDA spokesperson wrote in an email, per NBC News.

The agency is inspecting a facility in Ecuador that produces the pouches, it said. Ecuadorian authorities independently found traces of lead in the cinnamon that surpassed the country's limit, according to the FDA.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on December 8 that there were 125 reported cases of lead poisoning linked to the recalled products. 46 have been confirmed, 68 are probable, and 11 are suspected, it said, adding that the cases were documented across 22 states.

The FDA said consumers should discard the recalled pouches if they still have any in their homes. The products have a long shelf life.

The FDA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.