A year after recalled applesauce pouches containing cinnamon left more than 500 kids with lead poisoning, new research is offering further cause for concern regarding the popular spice used in baked goods and frequently sprinkled on coffee and oatmeal.
Consumer Reports found troubling levels of lead in one-third of ground cinnamon and cinnamon-containing spice blends it tested, according to the findings released Thursday. The tests involved brands carried by mainstream grocery stores as well as those that sell international foods.
Purchased from 17 stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and online, 12 of 36 brands measured above 1 part per million of lead — the threshold that triggers a recall in New York, the only U.S. state to regulate heavy metals in spices, according to the advocacy group.
Stop using these brands
Here are the 12 brands of spice blends and cinnamon that CR says to stop using:
- Badia cinnamon powder
- BaiLiFeng five spice powder
- Bowl & Basket ground cinnamon
- Deep cinnamon Powder
- EGN cinnamon powder
- Mimi’s Products ground cinnamon
- Paras cinnamon powder
- Rani Brand ground cinnamon
- Spicy King five spices powder
- Three Rivers cinnamon stick powder
- Yu Yee Brand five spice powder
- Zara Foods cinnamon powder
“If you have one of those products, we think you should throw it away,” microbiologist James Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports said of the 12 brands with the highest lead levels. “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,” he added.
Brands that are OK to use
Here are brands of spice blends and cinnamon that CR says are OK to use:
- Abido Spices 7 mixes
- Good & Gather ground cinnamon
- Great Value ground cinnamon
- Happy Belly ground cinnamon
- Kirkland Signature organic Saigon cinnamon
- McCormick cinnamon
- Morton Bassett San Francisco ground cinnamon
- Natural Plus Green five spices powder
- Penzeys Ceylon cinnamon
- Penzeys ground cinnamon
- Penzeys Vietnamese Cinnamon
- Shan garam masala powder
- Simply Organic cinnamon
- The Spice Lab organic ground cinnamon
- Swad garman masala powder
- Trader Joe’s organic ground cinnamon
- Wei-Chuan five spice powder
- Ziyad Brand premium seven spice blend
Best brands to use
The good news is half a dozen of the products tested as low-risk, and “demonstrate that it’s possible to produce cinnamon with no lead or extremely low levels,” said Rogers.
The six brands qualifying as good options are:
- 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
- Sadaf Seven Spice Blend.
The complete list of products consumers should not use and nearly 20 deemed “OK to use,” can also be found here.
Federal and state officials are still investigating the outbreak tied to 519 cases of food poisoning in 44 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to a March update by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Food and Drug Administration followed up with a warning against 17 ground cinnamon products found to contain high levels of lead.
Short-term exposure to very low levels of lead may not result in symptoms, but longer-term exposure to the metal can cause permanent damage to the central nervous system, resulting in learning disorders and other developmental defects in children. Chronic lead exposure is associated with kidney issues, hypertension and adverse cognitive effects in adults, according to health officials.