FDA warns of MORE kitchen spices with elevated levels of cancer-causing ingredient

Health officials warned to throw out even more ground cinnamon due to dangerous levels of toxic metals. 

The FDA said Friday that it added Super Brand ground cinnamon to its list of products that contain 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. 

Samples were reviewed by the FDA, which determined ‘exposure to this product may be unsafe.’ 

The cinnamon, which was distributed by California-based IHA Beverage Commerce, contained the highest concentration of lead of all dozen products on the FDA’s warning list. 

Each pouch contains 6.6 to 7.7 parts per million (ppm) lead, seven times more than the one ppm needed to trigger a recall in New York, the only state that regulates heavy metals in spices.

It has not yet been recalled.  

The FDA urged consumers to ‘throw away and not to buy these ground cinnamon products.’ They have also recommended voluntary recalls of each product on the warning list.

Researchers have warned that just a quarter of a teaspoon of many tainted cinnamons could pose serious health consequences, particularly in young children, as lead can harm brain development.

Several cinnamon brands have been recalled due to containing lead, a toxic metal 

Earlier this year, watchdog Consumer Reports analyzed lead levels in several ground cinnamon products. These brands had the highest amounts

Lead is naturally present in the Earth’s crust, which means it could be present in soil that spices are grown within. 

Additionally, the FDA previously said it was investigating if lead was added intentionally for financial gain.  

Karen Everstine, technical director for food supply chain watchdog FoodchainID, said that it’s essentially a money-making scheme. ‘The intent is not to make people sick. Nobody wants to do that because then they get caught,’ she said. 

‘What they want to do is make money.’ 

The FDA and CDC both warn that there is no safe level of lead consumption. 

Once consumed, lead can travel throughout the entire body via the blood and take up camp in soft tissues like the kidney, liver or lungs, damaging those organs. 

In higher doses, or with frequent exposure, it has been linked to behavioral issues, 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 is likely to cause cancer, but there is not conclusive evidence yet. 

Short-term exposure to lead can result in symptoms that include headache, abdominal pain, vomiting and anemia.