High levels of lead detected in 12 cinnamon brands, report finds

(NEXSTAR) — A new Consumer Reports study has found elevated levels of lead in one dozen brands of cinnamon powders and multi-spice blends.

The nonprofit, which evaluates the safety of various goods and services, purchased the cinnamon products from 17 stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and online.

Twelve of the 36 products tested by Consumer Reports had lead levels exceeding 1 part per million. That concentration is high enough to trigger a recall in New York, the only U.S. state that regulates heavy metals in spices, according to the nonprofit.

Cinnamon powder from Paras had the highest levels of lead, at 3.52 parts per million (ppm), the report noted. The other affected products include:

EGN cinnamon powder (2.91 ppm)
Mimi’s Products ground cinnamon (2.03 ppm)
Bowl & Basket ground cinnamon (1.82 ppm)
Rani Brand ground cinnamon (1.39 ppm)
Zara Foods cinnamon powder (1.27 ppm)
Three Rivers cinnamon stick powder (1.26 ppm)
Yu Yee Brand five spice powder (1.25 ppm)
BaiLiFeng five spice powder (1.15 ppm)
Spicy King five spices powder (1.05 ppm)
Badia cinnamon powder (1.03 ppm)
Deep cinnamon powder (1.02 ppm)

Paras and EGN said they were pulling their products from store shelves, according to Consumer Reports. Nexstar has reached out to several of the other brands for comment.

The FDA noted on its website that there is no known safe level of lead exposure.

Lead can cause long-term problems in adults, including greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney damage. It’s especially harmful to children, where it can cause problems with basic intelligence, learning and behavior.

“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,” James Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports, said in the report.

Some popular brands deemed safer to use by the nonprofit include Kirkland Signature organic Saigon cinnamon (0.80 ppm), Great Value ground cinnamon (.79 ppm), Trader Joe’s organic ground cinnamon (0.69 ppm), McCormick cinnamon (0.23 ppm), Sadaf cinnamon powder (0.04 ppm) and 365 Whole Foods Market organic ground cinnamon (0.02 ppm).

The new report comes nearly a year after lead-tainted WanaBana apple sauce, flavored with cinnamon imported from Ecuador, sickened more than 500 children. The recalled apple sauce pouches were sold in U.S. supermarkets, on Amazon, and in discount stores like Dollar Tree.

Since the outbreak, the FDA has been actively monitoring ground cinnamon for lead. The agency has issued several public health alerts, advising consumers to throw away 10 recalled cinnamon products that may be unsafe.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.