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The Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree last week after an investigation found that the company had failed to remove children’s snacks with high lead and chromium levels 45 days after receiving notice of the recall.
According to the FDA, Wanabana announced a voluntary recall of its Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree Pouches on October 29, 2023, after an investigation found that the product contained “extremely high levels of lead.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children in 44 states have suspected or confirmed elevated blood lead levels after eating packets of applesauce marketed for young children.
The epidemic was declared over in April.
FDA finds elevated lead content in cinnamon products sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores
According to the FDA, Wanabana recalled its Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches in October 2023, but Dollar Tree did not remove the product from all shelves until December. (Photo: FDA)
Wanabana is Voluntary For the October 29 recall, Dollar Tree was notified of the recall in writing on the same day because it sold the recalled products.
“In the weeks and months that followed, FDA received multiple reports from state and local partners in multiple states that recalled Wanabana pouches were on Dollar Tree store shelves, and FDA worked with our partners to urge them to remove or destroy such products as soon as they were discovered,” the FDA said in a letter to Dollar Tree.
As a result, the FDA initiated Recall Audit Checks (RACs) at Dollar Tree stores and found that Wana Bana products were still on Dollar Tree shelves between November 10 and December 19.
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Dollar Tree received a warning from the FDA for failing to remove Wana Bana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches after a voluntary product recall. (Fox News Digital)
In its letter, the FDA said it had held multiple meetings with Dollar Tree to discuss the recall, during which the company indicated its intention to withdraw the products.
The letter alleges that Dollar Tree programmed its cash registers to prevent them from selling the items, but the FDA says that’s not enough.
In fact, one consumer complained that after the recall, she was shopping with her child at a Dollar Tree store in Kitsap County, Washington, and that her child ate a pouch of fruit off the shelf before she could pay for the item. When the consumer went to pay, she was unable to pay for the item because of the recall.
The recalled applesauce products were on some store shelves in mid-December despite a rise in lead poisoning cases.
A Dollar Tree store in Streator, Illinois, USA on October 15, 2022. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Despite numerous attempts to notify you of this serious problem, your company continues to sell counterfeit pouches of apple cinnamon fruit puree on stores, putting children at risk of exposure to the adulterated product,” the FDA wrote.
Now, the FDA has ordered Dollar Tree to submit in writing within 15 days the specific steps it has taken to address the violations or face legal action.
A Dollar Tree spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the company is committed to selling quality food and products, maintaining a safe environment for employees and customers, and complying with all laws and regulations.
The company is now operating under new management, and a spokesperson said Dollar Tree is working to strengthen and improve its compliance and safety programs, including implementing product recalls quickly and effectively.
“We are building and strengthening our efforts to prevent and detect violations, and we strive to promptly and fully remediate compliance issues when they arise,” the spokesperson said.
Regarding the recalled products, Dollar Tree said it took immediate steps to implement a recall of Wana Bana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree Pouches in October 2023 as soon as it received notice of the recall.
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“We continue to work with the FDA on this matter,” the spokesperson said.
FOX Business reached out to WanaBana for comment but did not receive a response.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
