The FDA is advising people to throw away six brands of cinnamon powder: La Fiesta, Markham, MK, Swad, Supreme Tradition and El Chiral. Products are sold at local and national retailers including Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Patel Brothers and Save A Lot. The FDA also requested voluntary recalls from each company.
The FDA says consumers should not eat, sell, or offer powdered cinnamon products, and the agency lists specific concerns in a table on its website. The FDA says if you have powdered cinnamon products in your home, you should throw them away.
Why does cinnamon contain lead?
It is not uncommon for certain spices to contain low levels of lead. Growing plants can absorb lead, which is naturally present in the soil, but this metal is also added during processing as a coloring agent or to increase the weight of spices.
The agency said various federal and state health authorities have ordered discount retail sales after discovering last fall that cinnamon applesauce treats from Wannabana, Schnucks and Wyeth contained high levels of lead. It conducted a “targeted investigation” of cinnamon powder products sold in stores.
As a result of this investigation, nearly 3 million squeezable pouches were recalled. The contamination has since been linked to at least 468 confirmed, probable, or suspected lead exposures in 44 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the latest study, lead levels in six cinnamon powder products ranged from 2.03 to 3.4 ppm. The FDA says the amount of lead is “substantially lower” than the level of lead found in the ground cinnamon used in bags of apple puree. These levels included lead ranging from 2,270 ppm to 5,110 ppm.
The agency said there have been no reports of “illness or adverse events” related to the use of powdered cinnamon products, which are recommended for recall.
The FDA has advised companies to recall powdered cinnamon products. However, the agency said it was unable to contact MTCI, the Santa Fe Springs, Calif., distributor.
Risk of exposure to lead
According to the FDA, long-term exposure to the lead in cinnamon powder can increase lead levels in the blood. And there is no safe level of lead exposure. According to the World Health Organization, young children are especially at risk of lead poisoning because they can absorb four to five times more lead than adults.
Over time, “exposure to high levels of lead” in infants and young children can lead to neurological effects, learning disabilities, and decreased IQ levels, according to the FDA.
In a statement announcing the proposed recall, the FDA said it was testing “colored spices” imported into the United States and that sampling “prevented some cinnamon with high lead concentrations from entering the United States.” . But authorities say the ultimate responsibility for lead contamination in products lies with manufacturers and importers.
The agency also sent a letter to “all cinnamon manufacturers, processors, distributors, and facility operators in the United States,” reminding companies to “prevent contamination” of powdered cinnamon products and other food products. Stated.
The FDA asked Congress to “require manufacturers to test ingredients and finished products marketed for consumption by infants and young children” before the products are sold in the United States. Currently, federal law does not require manufacturers to conduct such testing, the FDA said. .
“Today's action sends a signal to the industry that we need to take further steps to prevent high levels of contaminants from entering our food supply,” Jim Jones, the FDA's deputy commissioner for food, said in a statement. said. “The levels of lead found in some cinnamon flour products are too high and we need to do better to protect those most vulnerable to the negative health effects of exposure to high levels of lead. We need to work on it.”
