FDA finds ‘extremely high’ lead levels in cinnamon at Ecuador plant that made tainted fruit pouches

U.S. food inspectors found “extremely high” levels of lead in cinnamon at a plant in Ecuador that made applesauce pouches tainted with the metal, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday. Cinnamon tested from the plant had lead levels more than 2,000 times higher than a maximum level proposed by the FDA, officials said. Jim Jones, who heads the agency’s human foods program, said in an interview with Politico last week that the lead contamination appeared to be “an intentional act.” One theory is that the cinnamon may have been contaminated for economic reasons, agency officials said. Tests show children who ate the pouches had blood lead readings up to eight times higher than the reference level that sparks concern, health officials said.