By Josh Beckerman

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to Dollar Tree that said the retailer responded inadequately WanaBana's 2023 recall of apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches due to reports of lead.

In the weeks and months following the recall, "public health officials across many states reported continuing to see recalled WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches on Dollar Tree store shelves," the FDA said on Tuesday.

A Dollar Tree spokesperson said the company is "committed to selling quality food and products, maintaining a safe environment for associates and customers, and complying with all laws and regulations" and is taking steps "to significantly enhance and strengthen our compliance and safety programs and capabilities, including our process for quickly and effectively executing product recalls."

In early November, after WanaBana expanded its recall, it included products available at multiple chains and online outlets. The FDA said Nov. 23 that it was aware that the recalled apple cinnamon puree was still on the shelves at several Dollar Tree stores across multiple states.

The Dollar Tree spokesperson said that in October the company "took immediate action and began executing a recall of WanaBana's Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree Pouch upon being notified of the issue with the product."

Write to Josh Beckerman at josh.beckerman@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

06-18-24 1829ET