Tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches that have sickened scores of children in the U.S. may have been purposefully contaminated with lead, according to FDA’s Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones.

“We’re still in the midst of our investigation. But so far all of the signals we’re getting lead to an intentional act on the part of someone in the supply chain and we’re trying to sort of figure that out,” Jones said in an exclusive interview. The pouches found to be contaminated were sold under three brands — Weis, WanaBana and Schnucks — that are all linked to a manufacturing facility in Ecuador. The FDA says it’s conducting an inspection of that facility.

“My instinct is they didn’t think this product was going to end up in a country with a robust regulatory process,” Jones said. “They thought it was going to end up in places that did not have the ability to detect something like this.”

  • acceptable_pumpkin@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    This is where those US based companies should get absolutely reamed. Want to profit off cheap labor and raw materials from developing countries with “lax” controls? Then you should face all consequences and lost profits. No “blaming” some other supplier.

    • saze@feddit.uk
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      11 months ago

      China executed mfers when companies sold tainted baby milk powder.

        • RestrictedAccount@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Lead is sweet. That’s why kids eat paint chips.

          Someone saved money on sugar and biocide.

          The reason why I tacked this on after your comment is that you are on to something.

          • fiat_lux@kbin.social
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            11 months ago

            Sugar is way too cheap to use lead these days. 100 years ago this would have been plausible to me, but not today.

            Lead is used as a plastic softener, and these packages were likely not rated for food usage and whoever bought them online hadn’t checked for FDA approval for food safety before purchasing. It could have been something as simple as someone accidentally using the wrong materials in the factory too.

              • fiat_lux@kbin.social
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                11 months ago

                Oh yeah, I do remember hearing that. Still might be the packaging for whatever they ship the cinnamon in, but I do know that plants can also take up heavy metals in the soil, so multiple possible avenues for contamination. I’m sure the fda will figure it out.

                • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
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                  11 months ago

                  You remember hearing that? Do you remember where? Was it maybe the article from this post? No, that couldn’t be it, because you clearly didn’t read it.

                  • fiat_lux@kbin.social
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                    11 months ago

                    A previous article posted, actually. This article was careful to mention they haven’t decided on the source of contamination.

                    I have long covid memory problems, thanks for reminding me I’m still sick, I really didn’t need that but here you are being helpful!

            • lad@programming.dev
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              11 months ago

              Makes me wonder how much lead will flow into humans now that lead fuel is forbidden everywhere but lead food packaging is on the rise

      • grayman@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Only because they got caught. Everyone in the chain knew. The govt knew. They just got caught.

        • Meowoem@sh.itjust.works
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          11 months ago

          Ok Alex Jones sure, now tell us about the chinese lizard people…

          I’m guessing your source for this is ‘it feels like it must be true because they’re baddies’?

          • grayman@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            Go watch interviews of western expats that moved there and Chinese citizens that talk about their experience living there and growing up there. There’s also a few China News channels on YT and other places. The info is NOT hard to find if you try just a bit. The corruption in China is out of control. There are huge groups of younger people refusing to participate in the system. A China civil war is very much brewing as the system teeters on the edge of an economic cliff.

            • Meowoem@sh.itjust.works
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              11 months ago

              Yes and a lot of Chinese people I’ve spoken to belive all the same stuff about America and the west lol, it’s a simple game really and exactly the one Alex Jones plays - point at a few exaggerated accounts of genuinely bad things and extrapolate into the stratosphere without ever once checking your work.

              Of course China has corruption and infighting because everywhere does, that doesn’t mean the whole system is a conspiracy.

    • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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      11 months ago

      How about jailing responsible execs? Money wrist slaps notoriously don’t do shit

      • chitak166@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Keep increasing the penalty until it actually has an effect.

        Even if it never changes their behavior, all the free money can be used for other things until they go out of business.

        There should be a tiered system, too. First offenders just have to pay a certain amount to cover all expenses and then some. Subsequent offenders should have to pay more, probably double at the minimum.

        Just like how insurers increase rates when we use their services, taxpayers should increase rates for businesses that use their services.

        • Phoenixz@lemmy.ca
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          11 months ago

          It never had an effect as the fines are built in, it’s cost of business for them and they fuck over more than the fined van ever make right. Jail the fuckers.