High levels of lead have been found in a variety of cinnamon and spice blends sold by 12 different brands. The investigation involved 36 different ground cinnamon and cinnamon-containing spice blends. These products were purchased from 17 stores in states such as Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and from online marketplaces. Consumer Reports found that one-third of the tested products had lead levels above 1 part per million (ppm), which is the safety threshold set by New York State, the only US state that has regulations for heavy metal content in spices.
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Brands with the Highest Lead Levels
- Paras Cinnamon Powder: This product had the highest detected lead level, at 3.52 ppm.
- EGN Cinnamon Powder: Found with 2.91 ppm of lead.
- Mimi’s Products Ground Cinnamon: Measured 2.03 ppm of lead.
- ShopRite Bowl & Basket Ground Cinnamon: Detected at 1.82 ppm.
- Rani Brand Ground Cinnamon: Lead levels were at 1.39 ppm.
- Zara Foods Cinnamon Powder: Detected at 1.27 ppm.
- Three Rivers Cinnamon Stick Powder: Contained 1.26 ppm of lead.
- Yu Yee Brand Five Spice Powder: Lead levels found were 1.25 ppm.
- BaiLiFeng Five Spice Powder: Contained 1.15 ppm of lead.
- Spicy King Five Spice Powder: Detected at 1.05 ppm.
- Badia Cinnamon Powder: Measured 1.03 ppm of lead.
- Deep Cinnamon Powder: Lead levels were at 1.02 ppm.
While these 12 brands showed high levels of lead, the report also showed other brands with lower but still notable amounts. Products with lead levels ranging from 0.87 ppm to 0.23 ppm include well-known brands like Morton & Bassett, Sadaf and 365 Whole Foods Market.
Additionally, some cinnamon products such as 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Ground Cinnamon, tested as low as 0.02 ppm, making them safer options for consumers.
Lead is a toxic heavy metal with no safe level of exposure for humans, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Lead exposure can bioaccumulate in the body over time leading to health consequences in children. The World Health Organization estimates that lead exposure contributed to nearly 1 million deaths globally in 2019.
Even small amounts of lead can damage the central and peripheral nervous systems. Lead is harmful to children causing learning disabilities, impaired growth and hearing issues. Lead can cause cardiovascular issues, kidney damage and reproductive problems in adults.
High Levels of Lead Exposure Can Lead to, Coma or even death in extreme cases. Permanent intellectual disabilities in children who survive lead poisoning.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no formal regulations on acceptable lead levels in spices. While the FDA has the authority to issue health alerts, it does not have the power to enforce mandatory recalls or set binding limits on heavy metals in food products.
The Codex Alimentarius, an international food safety body is considering adopting a maximum lead level of 2.5 ppm for bark spices like cinnamon, a measure expected to be discussed in 2024.
In contrast, New York has set a stricter lead threshold, mandating recalls for any spice products that contain over 1 ppm of lead.
The Consumer Reports study involved spot testing three samples of each spice product. However, as James Rogers, director of food safety research at Consumer Reports, highlighted the results may not fully represent all products under the same brand name.
Comprehensive testing would require hundreds of samples to establish consistent results, which Consumer Reports lacked the resources to conduct.
Consumers should be aware that the levels detected in this study are just an indication of the risk and not an evaluation of all cinnamon products sold under these brands.
The report also brings attention to a similar incident in 2023 when cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches were recalled after being found with thousands of times higher levels of lead compared to spices.
These products, imported from Ecuador contained 2,300 to 5,100 ppm of lead, which led to poisoning in over 500 children. Many of these children had blood-lead levels higher than those recorded during the Flint, Michigan water crisis.
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Brands That Are Safe to Use
- Abido Spices 7 mixes
- Good & Gather ground cinnamon
- Great Value ground cinnamon
- Happy Belly ground cinnamon
- Kirkland Signature organic Saigon cinnamon
- McCormick cinnamon
- Morton Bassett San Francisco ground cinnamon
- Natural Plus Green five spices powder
- Penzeys Ceylon cinnamon
- Penzeys ground cinnamon
- Penzeys Vietnamese cinnamon
- Shan garam masala powder
- Simply Organic cinnamon
- The Spice Lab organic ground cinnamon
- Swad garam masala powder
- Trader Joe’s organic ground cinnamon
- Wei-Chuan five spice powder
- Ziyad Brand premium seven spice blend
Best Brands to Use
- 365 Whole Foods Market Ground Cinnamon
- 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Ground Cinnamon
- Loisa Organic Cinnamon
- Morton & Bassett San Francisco Organic Ground Cinnamon
- Sadaf Cinnamon Powder
- Sadaf Seven Spice Blend
Lead Levels in Recalled Products
- EGN cinnamon powder (2.91 ppm)
- Mimi’s Products ground cinnamon (2.03 ppm)
- Bowl & Basket ground cinnamon (1.82 ppm)
- Rani Brand ground cinnamon (1.39 ppm)
- Zara Foods cinnamon powder (1.27 ppm)
Following the publication of Consumer Reports’ findings, some companies took immediate action. Paras and EGN stated that they would stop selling their cinnamon powder products and remove them from store shelves.
Some companies defended their products. For example, Mimi’s Products stated that they rely on analytical reports from their vendors, which claim that the cinnamon they sell does not exceed 1 ppm of lead.
Deep and Yu Yee Brand said they had either tested their products or relied on supplier tests to confirm the safety of their cinnamon.
Other companies such as Badia and Bowl & Basket said that their cinnamon products meet all federal and international safety standards.
Despite these claims, Consumer Reports strongly advises consumers to discontinue use of the brands that were found to have high lead levels.
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