Jim Jones, the new Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), told Politico that the recently recalled, lead-contaminated applesauce packages, which have poisoned dozens of children across the country since October 2023, may have included intentionally adulterated cinnamon. FDA’s theory is unconfirmed as the investigation is ongoing, but according to Mr. Jones, all the information gathered thus far points to economically motivated adulteration of cinnamon used in the pouches by an actor along the supply chain.
Mr. Jones shared his belief that the actor who adulterated the cinnamon used in the pouches did not think the product would be imported to a country with a robust regulatory process or the ability to detect contamination in the ingredient, such as the U.S. Although no conclusions have been drawn as to how or why the lead was added, or by whom, the leading theory is economically motivated adulteration, which is a type of food fraud that is carried out to sell a cheapened product or an ingredient for higher prices.