Cinnamon is a favorite spice around the holidays, but this year consumers should be mindful of what increasingly comes with that spicy flavor – unhealthy levels of lead.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued eight recalls for cinnamon products since June 1 because of lead content. The most recent came in recent days when Asli Fine Foods issued a recall for Asli Cinnamon Powder because it has the potential to be contaminated with lead.
The issue began to gain attention in late 2023 when the FDA issued an advisory to parents and caregivers not to buy WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches because the company recalled the product for having too much lead. In the months that followed several children were treated for lead poisoning.
There have been 519 cases in 44 states of lead poisoning linked to the food as of March 22, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In spite of all the attention, cinnamon with elevated lead levels is still out there. Consumer Reports this month released a lab analysis showing that most of the 36 cinnamon products it tested had concerning amounts of lead.
So, how in the world does lead get into ground cinnamon? According to food safety experts, contaminated soil, unsafe food production and sellers mixing lead into spices are the likely culprits.
Three ways lead gets into cinnamon
Most, if not all, of the tainted ground cinnamon came from Ecuador, where the FDA said some sellers may have mixed in lead to increase the cinnamon's value by adding weight and more vibrant color.
“These recent cases may reflect a step up in surveillance,” Thomas Gremillion, director of food policy at the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America, told ConsumerAffairs earlier this year. “They may also be an indication, however, that the apple sauce incident was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.”
Lead can also get into root crops like sweet potatoes and fruit like grapes if the soil is contaminated, food safety experts say. Lead can also get into food by coming in contact with other metals, such as aluminum, tin, brass and bronze, which is more of a problem in countries slower to phase out of lead or where it still in pipes and paint.
To ensure food is safe, Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog at the nonprofit U.S. Public Interest Research Group, says companies selling in the U.S. should focus on working with trusted partners, distributors and importers.
She adds that domestic and foreign suppliers should test their products voluntarily to meet safety standards.