NC attorney general calls for FDA oversight after high lead levels found in applesauce pouches

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein is joining 20 other attorneys general to call for more federal oversight after food inspectors found high levels of lead and metal in cinnamon applesauce pouches.

Stein is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] to act.

“It’s unsettling that companies aren’t already testing baby food for toxic metals and lead,” Stein said in a release. “The FDA needs to act now to protect our kids from dangerous products.”

The attorneys general are asking the FDA to require the baby food industry to test all finished food products for lead and other toxic metals.

In the last few months, nearly 400 childhood lead poisoning cases were linked to recalled cinnamon applesauce pouches that were sold in stores without first being tested for toxic metals.

Several brands have recalled their cinnamon applesauce pouches, including WanaBana, Schnucks or Weis. Anyone who purchased these pouches should throw them away, according to the FDA.

Under current FDA policy, baby food manufacturers decide whether to test their products for toxic metals and other contaminants.

Stein said lead in food is especially dangerous because children from low-income communities may already be exposed to lead-based paint, lead in drinking water pipes and other sources. Lead in their food only exacerbates risks to their health, Stein said.

Lead is toxic to humans, and there is no safe level. Exposure is not usually apparent right away, but it can cause developmental delays in children. Initial symptoms of lead poisoning may include head, stomach and muscle aches, vomiting, anemia, irritability, fatigue and weight loss.