'Throw It Away': High Levels Of Lead Found In 12 Brands' Cinnamon Powders In The US

Cinnamon is a popularly consumed spice that has subtle sweet and woody notes. It is used for baking, sprinkled on hot chocolate, coffee, and oatmeal, and even used in savoury dishes like chicken and soups. However, is the cinnamon used in your home safe for consumption? Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organisation in the US that helps consumers assess the safety and performance of goods, found high levels of lead in cinnamon powder and multi-spice powders from 12 mainstream and small brands.

The food safety scientists tested for lead in 36 ground cinnamon products and spice blends containing cinnamon such as garam masala and five-spice powder. The spices were purchased from 17 stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and online. 

Out of these 36 products, the scientists found that 12 ground cinnamon powders and spice blends had lead levels above 1 part per million (ppm), a level that New York state uses to indicate products that should be recalled.

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Just a quarter teaspoon of any of those products has more lead than you should consume in an entire day, says James Rogers, PhD, the director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports. "If you have one of those products, we think you should throw it away," he says, adding, "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."

As per research, frequent lead exposure has been linked to several health problems such as immune system suppression, reproductive issues, kidney damage, and hypertension.

Here are the 12 cinnamon and multi-spice products people should avoid, according to Consumer Reports:

1. Paras cinnamon powder (3.52 ppm)
2. EGN cinnamon powder (2.91 ppm)
3. Mimi's Products ground cinnamon (2.03 ppm)
4. Bowl & Basket ground cinnamon (1.82 ppm)
5. Rani Brand ground cinnamon (1.39 ppm)
6. Zara Foods cinnamon powder (1.27 ppm)
7. Three Rivers cinnamon stick powder (1.26 ppm)
8. Yu Yee Brand five spice powder (1.25 ppm)
9. BaiLiFeng five spice powder (1.15 ppm)
10. Spicy King five spices powder (1.05 ppm)
11. Badia cinnamon powder (1.03 ppm)
12. Deep cinnamon powder (1.02 ppm)

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The report also identified cinnamon products that are safe for consumption. The six products posing the lowest risk include:

1. 365 Whole Foods Market Ground Cinnamon (0.12 ppm)
2. 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.02 ppm)
3. Loisa Organic Cinnamon (0.04 ppm)
4. Morton & Bassett San Francisco Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.04 ppm)
5. Sadaf Cinnamon Powder (0.04 ppm)
6. Sadaf Seven Spice blend (0.15 ppm)

"These products demonstrate that it's possible to produce cinnamon with no lead or extremely low levels," Rogers says.