Dollar Tree left children’s apple sauces on shelves for months after a recall for lead contamination, FDA says in letter threatening possible legal action

Dollar Tree failed for months to remove lead-contaminated apple sauce products from some of its stores, officials from the US Food and Drug Administration said in a letter to the retailer on June 11. The FDA warned it could take further legal action if Dollar Tree did not properly address the violations.

Several products — including WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, Schnucks cinnamon-flavored apple sauce pouches, and Weis cinnamon apple sauce pouches — were recalled in October after consumption was linked to elevated levels of lead. As of March, the pouches were tied to reports of more than 500 illnesses among children in 44 states.

In its letter to Dollar Tree, the FDA said that the WanaBana pouches were still on shelves at stores in some states through December 19, two months after the recall. The agency wrote that although store employees did not allow customers to purchase the pouches at checkout, it was not an effective recall measure because at least one parent in Washington had allowed their child to eat a pouch off the shelf before they completed the purchase.

“This letter notifies you of our concerns and provides you an opportunity to address them,” the FDA’s letter read. “Failure to adequately address this matter may result in legal action, including, without limitation, seizure and injunction.”

It asked the company to provide written documentation of the steps it is taking to prevent future violations within 15 business days.

A Dollar Tree spokesperson said the retailer is on a “journey to transform our business” under its new management team and will “continue to take steps to significantly enhance and strengthen our compliance and safety programs and capabilities, including our process for quickly and effectively executing product recalls.”

“We continue to cooperate with FDA on this matter,” they said.

There have been several changes to Dollar Tree’s leadership team in the last 18 months. Rick Dreiling replaced Mike Witynski as CEO in January 2023, and Jason Nordin joined as senior vice president and chief of stores for Dollar Tree in September.