The FDA warned against Super Brand ground cinnamon, shown here, because of its lead content.
Health officials warned against throwing away even more ground cinnamon due to dangerous levels of toxic metals.
The FDA said Friday it has added Super Brand ground cinnamon to its list of products containing elevated levels of lead.
The spice, which was sold at an Asian market in Little Rock, Arkansas, was tested by state health authorities for toxic metals.
The FDA reviewed the samples and determined that “exposure to this product may be hazardous.”
The cinnamon, which was distributed by California-based IHA Beverage Commerce, contained the highest concentration of lead of the dozen products on the FDA warning list.
Each bag contains 6.6 to 7.7 parts per million (ppm) of lead, seven times more than the ppm needed to trigger a recall in New York, the only state that regulates heavy metals in spices. .
It has not been removed yet.
The FDA urged consumers to “discard and not purchase these ground cinnamon products.” They have also recommended voluntary recalls of each product on the warning list.
Researchers have warned that just a quarter teaspoon of many contaminated cinnamons could have serious health consequences, especially in young children, as lead can damage brain development.
Several brands of cinnamon have been recalled for containing lead, a toxic metal.
Earlier this year, watchdog Consumer Reports tested lead levels in several ground cinnamon products. These brands had the highest quantities.
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Lead is naturally present in the Earth’s crust, meaning it could be present in the soil in which spices are grown.
Additionally, the FDA previously said it was investigating whether the lead was intentionally added for financial gain.
Karen Everstine, technical director at food supply chain watchdog FoodchainID, said this is essentially a money-making scheme. ‘The intention is not to make people sick. “Nobody wants to do that because then they get caught,” he said.
“What they want to do is make money.”
Both the FDA and CDC warn that there is no safe level of lead consumption.
Once consumed, lead can travel throughout the body through the blood and lodge in soft tissues such as the kidneys, liver or lungs, damaging these organs.
At higher doses, or with frequent exposure, it has been linked to behavioral problems, growth problems, and learning difficulties in children.
Additionally, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified it as a probable carcinogen, meaning that high exposure will likely cause cancer, but there is no conclusive evidence yet.
Short-term exposure to lead can cause symptoms including headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, and anemia.
