Ecuador's authorities allege that Carlos Aguilera, a cinnamon grinder in Ecuador, is 'the likely source' of the contaminated spices that led to the recall of WanaBana applesauce.
Authorities in Ecuador have named a suspect in their investigation of now-recalled lead-tainted applesauce, which has been linked to poisonings of more than 400 Americans across 43 states, the Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday — but U.S authorities have 'limited authority' to take steps against him.
But the agency has also stopped short of definitively describing the lead poisonings as intentional, as opposed to the result of an accident or environmental contamination.Last year, FDA officials said its probe of the then-unnamed grinder suspected to be behind the poisonings had been hampered by limits to their jurisdiction in Ecuador. 'The FDA has limited authority over foreign ingredient suppliers who do not directly ship product to the U.S.