The Food and Drug Administration has expanded the list of lead-tainted cinnamon products sold in the United States to include new brands that may be unsafe for consumption.
The latest notice warns consumers to avoid consuming or buying ground cinnamon sold by New York-based El Servidor. The FDA is warning consumers about at least 10 lead-contaminated cinnamon products starting in October 2023. Products to throw away or not buy include:
Exposure to lead remains a serious health risk both globally and in the United States, despite numerous efforts to limit exposure to this toxic substance, including the EPA’s phase-out of leaded gasoline, which was completed in the 1990s, and the ban on the sale of lead-based paint, enacted in 1971.
There are many sources of exposure to lead today. Lead battery manufacturing and recycling facilities, aviation gasoline, products coated with lead paint, lead ammunition, paint and pipes in older buildings are just a few of the sources that contaminate the air, soil, water and food. Lead is also intentionally added to foods to add weight or color.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no safe level of lead exposure, and it is especially harmful to rapidly growing infants and children under 6.
El Servidor brand powdered cinnamon was found to contain 20 PPM of lead, while other powdered cinnamon products warned about by the FDA contained levels between 2.03 and 3.4 PPM. Some WanaBana brand bagged cinnamon was found to contain as much as 5,110 PPM of lead. While the FDA does not set specific limits for lead in spices, the European Union reportedly does not allow the sale of cinnamon with more than 2 PPM of lead.
