Throw Out These Lead-Heavy Brands Of Cinnamon

Consumer Reports tested for lead in 36 ground cinnamon products. Brands tested included Badia, McCormick, and Morton & Bassett which are all easily accessible at major grocery stores. Smaller brands were included in the study as well. Reach out to a skilled mass torts lawyer if you believe you or your family sustained harm due to lead-heavy cinnamon.

Safest and Most Dangerous Brands

The study found that 12 of the 36 products tested measured above 1 part per million (ppm) of lead in their cinnamon.

The safest product to consume in this report was 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Ground Cinnamon at .02 ppm. The most dangerous was Paras Cinnamon Powder at 3.52 ppm. In addition to Paras, dangerous levels of lead were found in EGN, Mimi’s Products, Bowl & Basket, Rani Brand, Zara Foods, Three Rivers, Yu Yee Brand, BaiLiFeng, Spicy King, Badia, and popular Indian spice brand, Deep.

According to Consumer Reports, these brands were the safest for you and your family: Whole Foods Organic Cinnamon, Sadaf Cinnamon Powder, Morton & Bassett San Francisco 100% Organic Ground Cinnamon, Loisa Organic Cinnamon, 365 Whole Foods Market Ground Cinnamon, and Sadaf Seven Spice blend.

California’s Strict Lead Limits

Under California law, the maximum amount of lead allowed per day for adults smaller than what Consumer Reports tested for – here, it is .5 ppm. So Paras cinnamon contains an astonishing 7 times California’s allowable limit for an entire day. This is poison.

Health Risks

Just a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon from any of these brands contains more lead than should be consumed in one day. “If you own any of these, you should get rid of it today – and in the garbage, not in the compost because the lead will get right back into people’s gardens,” said Vineet Dubey, consumer environmental attorney with Custodio & Dubey. “Even small traces of lead can build up in the body over time, staying for years and posing serious health risks especially to young children.”

FDA Cinnamon Recall

Throughout this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned consumers not to use a total of 17 brands of ground cinnamon due to their high levels of lead. The FDA began their research into the ground cinnamon after WanaBana cinnamon applesauce and two sister brands were recalled after being linked to over 500 cases of lead poisoning, or probably lead poisoning, in children in 44 states. An investigation traced the lead to a cinnamon supplier who intentionally added lead to the spice to make it, and their profits, heavier.

Need for Stronger Regulations

“Reports like this highlight the critical need for stronger regulations on toxic substances in the the products we consume,” Dubey says. “It’s an outrage that we don’t have stricter regulations to implement proper recalls. We are essentially relying on manufacturers to ethically provide products that are safe for consumers, which is why staying educated on this is crucial.”

Stay Informed

Keep yourself safe and up to date by checking out the results published by Consumer Reports for the list of unsafe cinnamon products, as well as the products they reported as safe to consume. Rely on CD Law if you or a loved one sustains harm due to a dangerous consumer item.