Dept. of Health issues updated voluntary recall warning for apple sauce products due to elevated lead levels

Elevated lead levels have resulted in a voluntary recall of Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree by WanaBana, LLC and of private-label brands Schnucks Apple Sauce with cinnamon and Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce pouch products.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Disease Investigation Branch, and Food and Drug Branch are today jointly updating the Oct. 31, 2023 alert by the Department of Health.

WanaBana pouches were primarily sold at Dollar Tree stores nationwide, with some product available for purchase online at Amazon.com. The product was sold in a 3-pack of 2.5-ounce pouches. 90-gram Weis pouches were sold at Weis Markets located on the East Coast, and 90-gram Schnucks pouches were sold at Schnuck Markets in the Midwest. There are no retail stores in Hawai‘i that sold the recalled products, and based on the Department of Health’s investigation it appears that no recalled product was shipped to Hawai‘i via Amazon.

However, there is a possibility that residents traveling to the mainland, or visitors from the mainland, may have purchased the recalled products from Dollar Tree, Weis Markets, and/or Schnuck Markets and consumed the recalled products before arriving in the state. Visiting family and friends may have also brought the recalled products with them to Hawai‘i.

Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status, and protecting children from lead exposure is important to lifelong good health. Parents and caregivers of toddlers and young children who may have consumed WanaBana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches, Schnucks Apple Sauce with cinnamon, and/or Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce should contact their child’s healthcare provider about getting a blood test.

Physicians and laboratories are required to report to the Department of Health any person under their care with elevated blood lead levels. To date, the Department of Health has not received any report of elevated blood lead levels due to consuming this product.

Consumers who may have the product on hand with the specified batch numbers are urged to stop using the product and safely seal and dispose immediately.

For more information about this recall, consumers may contact WanaBana, LLC. by email at: support@wanabanafruits.com.