March 7, 2024 – Elevated levels of lead have been found in six ground cinnamon brands sold by discount retailers in the United States, the FDA said Wednesday in a safety alert.
Consumers should throw away and not buy those products, and retailers should stop selling them, the FDA said.
The FDA’s safety alert named these products: the La Fiesta brand sold by La Superior and SuperMercados; Marcum brand sold by Save A Lot stores; MK brand sold by SF Supermarket; Swad brand sold by Patel Brothers; El Chilar brand sold by La Joya Morelense; and Supreme Tradition brand sold by Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.
No illnesses have been reported from the ground cinnamon, but exposure for months or years to high lead levels can lead to to bad health effects, especially in children. There are no safe level of lead exposure for humans.
“These products have a long shelf life. Consumers should check their homes and discard these products,” the FDA said.
The federal agency became aware of the problem with ground cinnamon after an October 2023 recall of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products that had high lead levels linked to the cinnamon in those products.
The ground cinnamon products listed in Wednesday’s safety notice have lead levels of 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million, the FDA said. That’s much lower than the cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products, which had lead levels of 2,270 to 5,110 parts per million.
Those puree and applesauce products were sold in squeeze pouches designed for children. As of Feb. 23, the CDC has received reports of 111 confirmed cases of lead and chromium poisoning, 320 probable cases, and 37 suspected cases linked to the puree and applesauce products.
