WanaBana voluntarily recalled all of its apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches after the Food and Drug Administration warned that they contain “extremely high concentrations of lead.”
If any youngster has consumed the WanaBana puree product — which is especially popular among toddlers and young children who have trouble chewing and swallowing — the FDA advised parents to “contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test.”
Lead, which is toxic to humans, is especially difficult to spot in children, who may experience slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems or hearing and speech problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Protecting children from exposure to lead is important to lifelong good health. No safe blood lead level in children has been identified,” the CDC warned, noting that children can be exposed to lead by swallowing, touching or even breathing in the metal.
“Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to negatively affect a child’s intelligence, ability to pay attention and academic achievement.”
The FDA listed other symptoms, including headaches, abdominal pain, vomiting, vomiting and tremors, among others.
The federal agency said it found the metal in WanaBana’s apple cinnamon fruit pouches after the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched an investigation into the puree when four children were experiencing elevated blood lead levels, indicating acute lead toxicity.
WanaBana has since agreed to voluntarily recall all of its apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, regardless of expiration, the FDA said.
The agency said it’s still working with state officials “to remove all contaminated product from the market.”
Often marketed as a healthy, on-the-go snack, WanaBana’s apple cinnamon puree contains 50 calories in one 71-gram pouch, including 12 grams of carbs, nine grams of sugars, and two grams of fiber.
The flavor is not currently on WanaBana’s website, which instead promotes flavors like mango, kale and spinach, banana and strawberry, plus options designed for babies like peach, carrot and apply and quinoa flour.
Representatives for WanaBana did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
WanaBana’s recall comes one month after Kraft Heinz yanked its iconic, individually-wrapped Kraft Singles American processed cheese slices from supermarket shelves, citing choking hazards.
The company, which is co-headquartered in Chicago and Pittsburg, said in a press release late last month that there was a “temporary issue developed on one of our wrapping machines, making it possible that a thin strip of the individual film may remain on the slice after the wrapper has been removed.”
The recall comes after six consumers complained that they choked or gagged on a piece of plastic wrap, prompting the company to revoke more than 83,000 cases of the processed cheese from stores.
Affected products included the 16-ounce Kraft Singles American Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product with a “best when used by date” of Jan. 10, 2024, through Jan. 27, 2024, as well as three-pound multipacks of Kraft Singles American Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product with a “best when used by date” of Jan. 9, 2024, through Jan. 13, 2024.
Kraft Heinz — which makes other highly-processed foods like Cheez Whiz and Oscar Mayer hot dogs — also assured that it has fixed the machine that caused the defective plastic wrapping.
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