You may want to double-check which cinnamon you buy for your fall cooking.
New tests Consumer Reports After examining nearly 40 different brands of ground cinnamon from grocery stores, he outlines some alarming findings. It comes after the FDA recalled both ground cinnamon and cinnamon-flavored applesauce products in recent years. Of the 36 different brands tested, 12 were found to contain levels of lead greater than one part per million, which would have triggered a recall in New York, the only state that regulates heavy metals in spices.
Most of the lead contamination was found in smaller brands and those sold in stores. The culprits included Paras Cinnamon Powder (3.52 ppm), 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 Spice Powder (1.05 ppm), Badia Cinnamon Powder (1.03 ppm) and Deep Cinnamon Powder (1.02 ppm).
CRDr. James E. Rogers, director of and vice president of product safety testing at , explained how even a pinch of cinnamon from any of these brands can be harmful, as a quarter teaspoon of any of them contains more lead than you should consume in a day.
“If you have one of these products, we think you should throw it out,” Rogers said bluntly. “Even small amounts of lead pose a risk because over time it can accumulate in the body and remain there for years, causing serious harm to health.”
These weren’t the only brands that contained lead levels; while the levels in some major brands weren’t necessarily safe, they weren’t necessarily the safest either. The company found levels in other brands: McCormick Ground Cinnamon (0.23 ppm), Simply Organic Cinnamon (0.28 ppm), Bassett San Francisco Ground Cinnamon (0.55 ppm), Good & Gather Ground Cinnamon (0.56 ppm), Trader Joe’s Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.69 ppm), Great Value Ground Cinnamon (0.79 ppm) and Kirkland Signature Organic Saigon Cinnamon (0.80 ppm).
Related: Major Deli Meat Recall Tied to Listeria Outbreak Gets Bigger
If you're looking for the safest ground cinnamon products for your fall cooking this year, you can't go wrong with 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.02 ppm), Loisa Organic Cinnamon (0.04 ppm), Morton & Bassett San Francisco 100% Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.04 ppm), Sadaf Cinnamon Powder (0.04 ppm), 365 Whole Foods Market Ground Cinnamon (0.12 ppm), and Sadaf Seven Spice Powder (0.15 ppm).
@consumerreports We found elevated lead levels in a third of the cinnamon powders and spice blends we tested. Learn more at the link in our bio. #foodtok #cinnamon #foodtiktok #foodsafety
♬ original sound – Consumer Reports
Enjoy your coffee and cinnamon buns with peace of mind this fall.