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Before you start your fall baking, you’ll definitely want to replace the cinnamon powder sitting in your spice rack. That’s because, according to new data from Consumer Reports, a nonprofit that helps consumers make informed choices based on independent testing, 12 cinnamon powders contain dangerously high amounts of lead — in fact, many of these powders contain more lead in a quarter teaspoon than anyone should consume in an entire day.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Consumer Reports both began investigating cinnamon powders after 500 lead poisoning cases in children were linked to cinnamon used in three brands of apple purée pouches. Consumer Reports tested for lead in 36 common/leading brands of cinnamon powder sourced from 17 different stores in various states and concluded that 12 were contaminated with a dangerous amount of lead.
Which cinnamon brands have lead in them?
According to an article published by Consumer Reports on September 12, cinnamon powder from Paras, EGN, Mimi’s Products, Rani Brand, Zara Foods, Three Rivers, Yu Yee Brand, BaiLiFeng, Spicy King, Badia, Deep, and 25 other brands contain high levels of lead and should be thrown away immediately.
Several of the brands on Consumer Reports’s list provided statements to USA Today on what to do if you own one of the cinnamon powders on the throw-away list.
EGN and Paras brands confirmed to Consumer Reports they’d stop selling their cinnamon powder products and remove them from shelves; Deep and Yu Yee Brand told Consumer Reports that they’d “tested their product or relied on tests from their suppliers”; and NAC Foods, the manufacturer of Mimi’s Products, provided a statement to USA Today saying it “relies on analytical reports provided by its vendors,” and those reports indicated that “no lead levels exceeding 1 part per million were found in our ground cinnamon.” Badia Spices, one of the 36 brands mentioned, said in a statement to USA today that its ground cinnamon products comply with all federal and international laws.
James Rogers, the director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports, said, “If you have one of those products, we think you should throw it 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.”
What are the symptoms of lead poisoning?
Lead poisoning symptoms, according to the National Safety Council and Poison Control, include headaches, stomach cramps, constipation, muscle and joint pain, trouble sleeping and concentrating, and irritability, and exposure can eventually lead to high blood pressure, and brain, kidney, and reproductive health issues in adults. You should contact your doctor immediately if you think you’ve been exposed to lead poisoning to schedule a blood test.
Which cinnamon powders are the safest to use?
Before you throw out everything in your pantry, Consumer Reports concluded in its findings published in September 2024 that cinnamon powders and spice mixes from Sadaf, 365 Whole Foods Market, Loisa, and Morton & Bassett San Francisco were the safest to use, with the 365 Whole Foods Market being the safest (you can use up to 16 teaspoons daily). Other brands including McCormick, Simply Organic, Good & Gather, The Spice Lab, and Trader Joe’s, among others, can still be used as long as you’re only consuming a teaspoon or less of cinnamon per day.
You can see the full breakdown of the cinnamon powder testing on Consumer Reports website, as well as sign a petition to demand the FDA require lead be taken out of cinnamon powder and spice mixes.
Now that you’re fully informed, you can make your apple crisps, pumpkin pies, and cinnamon lattes without worrying about contamination.
This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it there: High Traces of Lead Were Found In 36 Popular Cinnamon Powder Brands (These Are the Ones to Toss ASAP!)
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