A recent lawsuit has brought to light alarming allegations against several companies involved in the production and distribution of fruit puree products. Filed by Eidy Alvarado on December 12, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the complaint accuses Wanabana LLC and other associated entities of causing severe lead poisoning to a minor, K.A., through their apple cinnamon fruit puree products.
The case revolves around allegations that K.A., a two-year-old child from New Orleans, suffered catastrophic injuries due to lead poisoning after consuming Wanabana Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree pouches between April and September 2023. The plaintiff claims that these products contained dangerously high levels of lead, leading to significant health risks. According to the complaint, Austrofood S.A.S and Austrofood Cia. Ltda., based in Ecuador, along with other defendants including Wanabana USA LLC and Grupo Navis LLC, were responsible for designing, manufacturing, distributing, and selling these contaminated products across the United States.
The lawsuit details how on October 30, 2023, Wanabana USA LLC and the FDA issued a public health alert after detecting "extremely high levels" of lead in the products. This led to a voluntary recall of all affected items. The plaintiff argues that despite this recall, some contaminated products remained available for sale at various retail outlets as late as December 2023. Furthermore, investigations revealed that Negasmart provided cinnamon tainted with lead chromate—a substance known for its carcinogenic properties—as an ingredient in these products.
Eidy Alvarado is seeking compensatory damages exceeding $75,000 for medical expenses incurred due to K.A.'s ongoing treatment and monitoring needs resulting from lead exposure. The lawsuit invokes multiple claims under the Louisiana Product Liability Act (LPLA), including failure to warn consumers about potential dangers and defective design leading to unreasonably dangerous conditions.
Representing Alvarado are attorneys whose names have not been disclosed in this document. The case is presided over by Judge [Name Not Provided] under Case ID: 2:24-cv-02862-SSV-EJD.