US Food and Drug Administration Identifies 16 Ground Cinnamon Brands with Elevated Lead Levels, Urges Consumers to Discard Products Immediately.
The FDA has listed 16 brands of ground cinnamon that contain elevated levels of lead, which can pose a health risk to consumers. These products have been found to have varying amounts of lead, ranging from 2.03 parts per million (ppm) to 7.68 ppm. The agency warns that prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe and could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood.
In total, four additional companies - HAETAE, Roshni, Durra, and Wise Wife - have been added to the list of ground cinnamon brands with high levels of lead. While some of these companies have already issued recall announcements for their products, others still need to do so.
The FDA has asked all affected companies to voluntarily recall their products, except for HAETAE. So far, 10 out of the 16 listed brands have taken steps to remove their contaminated ground cinnamon from store shelves.
Consumers are advised to immediately discard any ground cinnamon products that contain these elevated levels of lead if they find them on their shelves.
The reason behind the widespread presence of lead in cinnamon is a complex issue. Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of several tree species and can absorb lead from the soil it's grown in, which itself can be contaminated with industrial byproducts. Lead can also enter cinnamon during processing, storage, or packaging.
This is not the first time that lead has been found in US-grown cinnamon. In 2023, a massive recall was issued after tainted applesauce pouches containing lead-contaminated cinnamon were found to have caused hundreds of children to get lead poisoning.
Since then, the FDA has repeatedly launched alerts identifying products with elevated levels of lead and taken action against companies that failed to comply. Despite these efforts, it's still disturbing to find that many ground cinnamon brands continue to contain high levels of lead.
The impact of prolonged exposure to elevated lead levels can be severe, particularly in young children, who may experience neurological effects such as learning disabilities and lowered IQ. Adults exposed to high levels of lead over time are also at risk of developing long-term health problems, including increased blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, and kidney damage.
The FDA has listed 16 brands of ground cinnamon that contain elevated levels of lead, which can pose a health risk to consumers. These products have been found to have varying amounts of lead, ranging from 2.03 parts per million (ppm) to 7.68 ppm. The agency warns that prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe and could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood.
In total, four additional companies - HAETAE, Roshni, Durra, and Wise Wife - have been added to the list of ground cinnamon brands with high levels of lead. While some of these companies have already issued recall announcements for their products, others still need to do so.
The FDA has asked all affected companies to voluntarily recall their products, except for HAETAE. So far, 10 out of the 16 listed brands have taken steps to remove their contaminated ground cinnamon from store shelves.
Consumers are advised to immediately discard any ground cinnamon products that contain these elevated levels of lead if they find them on their shelves.
The reason behind the widespread presence of lead in cinnamon is a complex issue. Cinnamon comes from the inner bark of several tree species and can absorb lead from the soil it's grown in, which itself can be contaminated with industrial byproducts. Lead can also enter cinnamon during processing, storage, or packaging.
This is not the first time that lead has been found in US-grown cinnamon. In 2023, a massive recall was issued after tainted applesauce pouches containing lead-contaminated cinnamon were found to have caused hundreds of children to get lead poisoning.
Since then, the FDA has repeatedly launched alerts identifying products with elevated levels of lead and taken action against companies that failed to comply. Despite these efforts, it's still disturbing to find that many ground cinnamon brands continue to contain high levels of lead.
The impact of prolonged exposure to elevated lead levels can be severe, particularly in young children, who may experience neurological effects such as learning disabilities and lowered IQ. Adults exposed to high levels of lead over time are also at risk of developing long-term health problems, including increased blood pressure, cardiovascular issues, and kidney damage.
I just threw away my favorite cinnamon sticks because of this stupid recall. What's next? Lead in our tea or coffee?! 
And don't even get me started on how some companies are still avoiding the recall... like, come on guys! Get it together!
The FDA needs to get their act together and make sure these companies are held accountable.
And to think, some of this stuff has been contaminated with lead straight from the soil the trees are growing on. Like, come on Mother Nature! 
It's not just applesauce pouches anymore... cinnamon is getting in on the action too. The fact that we need an FDA alert to tell us which brands to discard is crazy 
. I'm definitely gonna be super vigilant about checking my spice rack from now on. Can't have any lead messing with my brain, you know? 
my aunt who bakes all the time is gonna be SO worried rn she uses so much cinnamon in her stuff and im like yeah no grandma dont eat ur cinnamon lololol seriously though how did this happen and what r we supposed to do now 
lead poisoning is like super serious and i dont want anyone i know to get hurt 
maybe this will motivate them to be more careful about where they source their cinnamon 
I'm still shook about those applesauce pouches back in 2023... lead poisoning is no joke! 
I mean, I know it's complex and all, but come on! The FDA should be doing more to test these products ASAP. I'm literally discarding my entire stash of ground cinnamon right now... don't wanna take any chances 
. This is just another reason to support organic farming, you know? 
. But still, 16 brands? That's crazy! And what's even crazier is that some of these companies are just now recalling their products... like, what took them so long? 
. I mean, we've had recalls in the past and the agency is still finding lead in cinnamon? It's like they need to double down on their efforts or something 
.