The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is screening imports of cinnamon from multiple countries for toxic lead contamination after growing reports of children who were sickened after eating pouches of applesauce and apple puree. But the agency noted there have not been other reports of illness or elevated blood lead levels tied to the spice that's popular in holiday baking. One pouch of recalled WanaBana apple cinnamon puree collected from a Dollar Tree store was found to have lead levels more than 200 times higher than proposed FDA guidance would allow, officials said. Consumers should be aware that cinnamon may contain lead, she said, but the FDA's release on Friday said there’s no indication that cinnamon products other than the applesauce puree are affected. The recalled fruit products include pouches of WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree and Schnucks and Weis brand cinnamon applesauce.

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Persons: Joanne Slavin, ” Organizations: . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Coral, University of Minnesota, Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, Schnucks, Weis, American Academy of Pediatrics, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: Ecuador, Coral Gables , Florida, Austrofood