DeepSummary
The episode centers on a New York Times investigation that revealed how applesauce contaminated with high levels of lead poisoned hundreds of children across the United States. Christina Jewett, who covers the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for The Times, discusses her findings on how this toxic applesauce sailed through the food safety system meant to protect American consumers.
The investigation traced the source of the lead contamination to cinnamon imported from Ecuador, where a spice grinder had illegally added lead chromate to the cinnamon to enhance its color and make more money. The FDA suspected this practice, but its overseas inspections and audits by food importers failed to catch the contaminated applesauce before it reached shelves in 44 states.
Despite the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011 aimed at strengthening oversight of imported foods, the FDA conducted only a fraction of the intended overseas inspections, and many importers never set up programs to vet foreign suppliers. The episode highlights systemic failures that allowed a major toxic exposure of American children.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Applesauce contaminated with high levels of lead from imported cinnamon poisoned hundreds of children across the United States.
- The FDA and food importers failed to detect the contaminated applesauce due to inadequate overseas inspections and audits, despite regulations aimed at preventing such incidents.
- The lead likely originated from a spice grinder in Ecuador who illegally added lead chromate to cinnamon to enhance its color and make more money.
- The poisoning incident exposed systemic failures in the U.S. food safety system's oversight of imported foods.
- The contamination went undetected until children started showing alarming levels of lead in their blood, acting as 'canaries in the coal mine.'
- The widespread exposure affecting 44 states was one of the worst toxic incidents for U.S. children in decades.
- Families of poisoned children faced distress and uncertainty until the applesauce source was identified after extensive investigation.
- The incident raised questions about the efficacy of food safety laws and enforcement to protect consumers from bad actors in global supply chains.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “This is one of the worst toxic exposures of U.S. kids in decades.“ by Christina Jewett
- “The kids were like the canary in the coal mine, which is not what you want to see happen in a country with a sophisticated food safety system.“ by An expert
- “They spent a few hours at the daycare, and nothing. They didn't really have any answers. They really didn't know where to guide us or kind of steer us in the right direction.“ by Thomas Young
- “We know that kids in 44 states had this applesauce. The CDC has said that about 468 kids consumed this applesauce and had high levels of lead in their blood.“ by Christina Jewett
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Episode Information
The Daily
The New York Times
2/29/24