Class action alleges Wanabana failed to disclose unsafe levels of lead in applesauce

Wanabana lead class action lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff Samantha Marsh filed a class action lawsuit against Wanabana LLC and Wanabana USA LLC.
• Why: Wanabana allegedly failed to disclose that some of its applesauce products contained unsafe levels of lead.
• Where: The Wanabana class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.

Wanabana failed to inform consumers that its applesauce products are contaminated with unsafe levels of lead, putting consumers’ health at risk, according to a class action lawsuit filed Dec. 21 in New York federal court.

Plaintiff Samantha Marsh says she purchased Wanabana applesauce because she trusted the manufacturer to sell products that are free from harmful known substances like lead.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public health alert on Oct. 28 due to the presence of lead in Wanabana applesauce products. Wanabana recalled the affected products the next day, according to the Wanabana lead class action lawsuit.

Wanabana lead contamination reportedly originated from cinnamon from Ecuador facility

The Wanabana lead contamination reportedly originated from a production facility in Ecuador. FDA testing of cinnamon samples showed extremely high levels of lead contamination, the class action says.

The FDA says it has received more than 65 reports of elevated blood lead levels in children younger than 6 who reportedly consumed the contaminated Wanabana lead products, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedly received reports of more than 125 suspected or confirmed cases of elevated lead levels associated with consuming the products.

Marsh explains that lead is a powerful neurotoxin for which there is no safe blood level. 

“Lead consumption has been shown to reduce intelligence, and to increase the risk of mental illness, dementia, hypertension, arrhythmia and breast cancer,” the Wanabana lead class action lawsuit says.

The products named in the Wanabana lead class action lawsuit include Wanabana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches, Schnucks Apple Sauce 90g pouches with cinnamon and Weis Cinnamon Apple Sauce 90g pouches.

Marsh notes that consumers are not easily able to test or verify whether a product contains harmful substances and must rely on the product label to honestly report the contents.

She filed the class action lawsuit on behalf of herself and others who purchased the Wanabana lead contaminated products in the United States.

Wanabana has expanded its Wanabana lead recall and the FDA advises blood tests for children and toddlers who consumed Wanabana pouches.

Have you purchased any of the products affected by the Wanabana lead recall? Tell us about your experience in the comments.

Marsh is represented by Jason P. Sultzer and Daniel Markowitz of The Sultzer Law Group PC, Charles E. Schaffer of Levin Sedran & Berman and Jeffrey K. Brown of Leeds Brown Law PC.

The Wanabana lead class action lawsuit is Samantha Marsh v. Wanabana LLC, et al., Case No. 7:23-cv-11090, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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