The Food and Drug Administration announced on Monday that inspectors in the United States discovered dangerously high amounts of lead in cinnamon at a factory in Ecuador, where applesauce pouches were being produced with the contaminated ingredient. It has been reported that the recalled pouches have caused numerous illnesses in American children.

According to officials, testing of cinnamon derived from the plant revealed lead levels that exceeded the maximum limit proposed by the FDA by over 2,000 times.

The samples came from ground or powdered cinnamon from Negasmart, an Ecuadorian company that supplied the spice to Austrofoods, which made the pouches. The applesauce pouches were sold under three brands — WanaBana, Schnucks and Weis. Officials with Austrofoods did not respond to requests for comment about the investigation.

The FDA stated that WanaBana products sold in the U.S. and made without cinnamon do not contain detectable levels of lead.

The agency continues to investigate how the cinnamon was contaminated. Jim Jones, who heads the agency’s human foods program, said in an interview with Politico last week that the lead contamination appeared to be “an intentional act.”

According to officials, there is a theory that the cinnamon may have been tampered with for economic gain. This could involve adding or removing an ingredient from the spice to increase its value. Some studies have shown that substances like red brick, red lead salt, lead oxide, and lead chromate, which mimic the color of cinnamon, have been added to enhance its worth.

According to FDA officials, they are unable to directly intervene with Negasmart and are instead depending on authorities in Ecuador to investigate the company’s behavior. Negasmart does not directly deliver products to the United States, and the FDA stated that only Austrofoods, among Negasmart’s customers, shipped food to the U.S.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a minimum of 125 children across 22 states have potentially been affected by lead poisoning since late October. The Food and Drug Administration, using a separate method of reporting, has documented at least 65 cases of children under the age of 6 being sickened in 27 states as of December 8th.

According to health authorities, tests revealed that children who consumed the pouches had blood lead levels that were up to eight times higher than the recommended limit, which is worrisome. Officials also reported that the puree samples contained lead contamination that exceeded FDA regulations by over 200 times.

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