The Food and Drug Administration is warning against purchasing six brands of ground cinnamon that contain potentially unsafe levels of lead. Elevated levels of lead were found in ground cinnamon products from the following brands:
- La Fiesta, sold at La Superior and SuperMercados
- Marcum, sold at Save A Lot
- MTCI, sold at SF Supermarket
- Swad, sold at Patel Brothers
- Supreme Tradition, sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar
- El Chilar, sold at La Joya Morelense
Exposure to lead in utero, infancy and early childhood can lead to harmful neurological effects like learning and behavior disabilities and lowered IQ, according to the regulator. For adults, chronic lead exposure is linked to kidney dysfunction, hypertension and neurocognitive effects. [source]
If you’ve purchased any of these brands of ground cinnamon, throw them out immediately, the FDA says. Cinnamon and other spices have a long shelf-life, so check the labels of any cinnamon you may have bought some time ago to be sure it isn’t one of these contaminated brands. Although the FDA has requested a recall, these products could still be on store shelves — so do not buy them.
If you have consumed of these brands of cinnamon, or suspect you or your children were exposed to lead, see your health care provider for testing, as most people don’t have symptoms of exposure. [source]