WASHINGTON — High levels of lead were found in 12 brands of ground cinnamon products and spice mixtures, according to testing released Thursday by Consumer Reports.
The nonprofit consumer group's testing comes after the Food and Drug Administration earlier this year warned to avoid 17 ground cinnamon products because they contained lead at levels that could be unsafe for people, particularly children, if consumed regularly.
According to Consumer Reports, 12 of the 36 items it tested had lead levels above 1 part per million. While there are no federal guidelines for heavy metals in spices, the state of New York uses the 1 part per million threshold to trigger a recall.
Cinnamon powder sold by Paras had the highest lead levels with 3.52 ppm (parts per million), according to the report.
The 11 other powders that Consumer Reports urged people to avoid were: 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), Three Rivers Cinnamon Stick Powder (1.26 ppm), Yu Yee Brand Five Spice Powder (1.25 ppm), BaiLiFeng Five Spice Powder (1.15 ppm), Spicy King Five Spices Powder (1.05 ppm), Badia Cinnamon Powder (1.03 ppm), Deep Cinnamon Powder (1.02 ppm).
According to one of the food experts at Consumer Reports, just a quarter teaspoon of any of those 12 products has more lead than a person should consume in an entire day.
“If you have one of those products, we think you should throw it away,” James Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports said.
Consumer Reports also highlighted six cinnamon products with the lowest risk in its tests as being good options: 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, and Sadaf Seven Spice blend.
Previously, FDA officials launched what they called a “targeted survey” of cinnamon products sold in discount stores after an October 2023 recall of lead-tainted cinnamon applesauce pouches that sickened nearly 500 U.S. children.
While the FDA monitors foods for lead levels, but the U.S. government doesn’t broadly limit lead in food products.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
