‘Troubling’ amounts of lead found in U.S. cinnamon samples, but brands not sold in Canada

The season of all things cinnamon is upon us, and a new study likely has Americans checking their brands before adding a dash to their pumpkin spice. A Consumer Reports study found high levels of lead in one-third of the cinnamon powders and spice blends tested.

Food safety scientists from the nonprofit consumer organization tested 36 ground cinnamon products found at major grocery stores and smaller markets, including spice blends that contain cinnamon, such as garam masala and five-spice powder. They found 12 that measured above one part per million (ppm) of lead, with the highest levels detected in Paras cinnamon powder (3.52 ppm) and EGN cinnamon powder (2.91 ppm). Several of the brands that fared worst in the testing didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) “is not currently aware of any Canadian distribution” of the 12 products with the highest levels of lead contamination, a representative said in an email.

The study follows 2023’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration recall of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products identified as the cause of lead poisoning in more than 500 children. None of the brands Consumer Reports studied came close to the “astronomical” amount in last year’s lead-contaminated cinnamon apple pouches — the highest of which reached 5,110 ppm.

Still, James Rogers, the director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports, said that a quarter teaspoon of the products with the highest level of contamination contains more lead than a person should consume in a day and recommends throwing them away. “Even small amounts of lead pose a risk because, over time, it can accumulate in the body and remain there for years, seriously harming health.”

According to the study, the world’s cinnamon comes mainly from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Lead occurs naturally in the environment and can enter the food supply through water or the earth. Trees growing in contaminated soil or old machinery used in processing are some of the ways lead could enter the spice supply chain.

An EGN distributor told The Washington Post that it had removed the company’s cinnamon powder from stores, and a representative for a former distributor of Paras cinnamon powder, Apna Wholesale, reportedly said that it “immediately sent a recall letter” following the consumer group’s report. “We also stopped buying or importing any cinnamon powder,” they told The Washington Post. “We have taken all the necessary steps.”

Consumer Reports identified 24 other cinnamon products, from brands such as 365 by Whole Foods Market, Sadaf, McCormick and Simply Organic, as fine to use. The six posing the lowest risk included 365 Whole Foods Market Ground Cinnamon, 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Ground Cinnamon, Sadaf Cinnamon Powder and Sadaf Seven Spice blend.

“These products demonstrate that it’s possible to produce cinnamon with no lead or extremely low levels,” said Rogers.

According to the BC Centre for Disease Control, “There is no safe level of lead in the blood.” Children under five are especially vulnerable to lead’s adverse health effects. However, some experts say you’d have to eat a lot of cinnamon for the level of lead contamination found in Consumer Reports’ study to pose a problem.

“It’s a question of how much you’re swallowing, how old the child is, and the concentration, of course,” Jack Caravanos, a clinical professor of environmental public health sciences at New York University, told The Washington Post. “If I was advising my daughter feeding her kids, I would say I wouldn’t quite worry about this right now. I would stay with name-brand products and spices.”

The Codex Alimentarius Commission, an international food standards body, set a limit for bark spices at 2.5 ppm, according to Ars Technica, and the European Union adheres to a maximum allowable lead concentration of 2 ppm. According to the CFIA, Health Canada doesn’t have an “established maximum limit for lead in spices.” The two agencies “routinely monitor the concentrations of lead in a wide variety of foods sold in Canada.”

The CFIA told the National Post by email that it’s aware of the reports “and has been in contact with U.S. authorities, who are currently investigating.” The agency will notify the public of any recalls on the recalls and safety alerts website if new information comes to light and encourages consumers to sign up for food recall notifications.

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