Children’s applesauce pouches that gave lead poisoning to over 400 Americans were likely contaminated by a single Ecuadorian man, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Cinnamon grinder Carlos Aguilera, originally named by the Ecuadorian authorities, allegedly supplied the tainted applesauce suspected to have poisoned 413 Americans across 43 different states.
Lead is neurotoxic and particularly dangerous to children — the primary consumers of applesauce pouches. The FDA has long suspected the pouches were poisoned intentionally, likely because applesauce is sold by weight, and adulterating it with heavy metals like lead increases this.
Having previously vowed to hold the person or persons responsible for poisoning the applesauce accountable, the FDA is now concerned it could struggle to do so, as it “has limited authority over foreign ingredient suppliers who do not directly ship product to the U.S… because their food undergoes further manufacturing/processing prior to export.”
“[T]he FDA cannot take direct action with Negasmart or Carlos Aguilera,” the agency lamented — though it has pledged to work “closely” with Ecuadorian officials to try to secure a positive outcome.
