The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has broadened its cinnamon recall after further testing revealed hazardous lead levels in additional samples.

This recall now encompasses 16 different brands, with the most recent updates including HAETAE, Roshni, Durra, and Wise Wife. Since the recall’s initial announcement in 2024, several brands have been added to the list as investigations continue.

Both FDA assessments and state-run sampling programs have identified lead concentrations in these products ranging from approximately two to 7.7 parts per million (ppm). This level is alarmingly higher than the FDA’s permissible limit for lead in bottled water, which is set at 5 parts per billion.

Exposure to lead during childhood has well-documented consequences, such as developmental and neurological impairments. These issues arise because lead mimics essential nutrients like calcium, thereby interfering with vital cellular functions and disrupting critical enzyme activities. As a result, lead exposure can cause damage to the brain, blood, and other organs.

The FDA emphasizes that young children are particularly susceptible to lead’s detrimental effects due to their smaller body sizes and rapid growth and metabolism. The risks associated with lead do not end with childhood, as it is also considered a probable carcinogen. In adults, lead exposure can lead to long-term health issues, including hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and kidney damage.

Lead, a probable carcinogen due to the damage it inflicts on DNA, can also cause long-term health problems in adults, including increased risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems and kidney damage.

In 2023, the FDA investigated and prompted recalls for lead-tainted cinnamon in applesauce pouches that contaminated hundreds of children’s products. Since then, the agency has maintained an active and ongoing series of alerts for ground cinnamon found to have elevated lead levels.

The nation’s cinnamon supply has a known history of lead contamination because cinnamon plants frequently absorb lead from polluted soil, as well as from the equipment and containers used in processing and packaging.

Lead has historically entered the cinnamon supply through contaminated soil where it’s grown and the equipment used in processing (stock)

The FDA, through confirmation testing with state programs, has determined that the following ground cinnamon brands contain elevated levels of lead and advises consumers not to buy them and to throw them away: Roshni, HAETAE, Durra, Wise Wife, Jiva Organics, Super Brand, Asli, El Chilar, Marcum, SWAD, Supreme Tradition, Compania Indillor Orientale, ALB Flavor, Shahzada, Spice Class, and La Frontera. Exposure to these products may be unsafe. 

The FDA said: ‘Based on FDA’s assessment, consuming these products could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood.

‘Long-term exposure (months to years) to elevated levels of lead in the diet could contribute to adverse health effects, particularly for the portion of the population that may already have elevated blood lead levels from other exposures to lead.’

The FDA stated that it has requested all companies, except HAETAE, because it has been unable to reach the parent company HaiTai to recall their products voluntarily. 

So far, 10 of the 16 ground cinnamon brands identified by the FDA have issued recall announcements.

The FDA advises consumers to dispose of these products immediately and to consult a healthcare provider with any symptoms or concerns about lead exposure.

The symptoms of lead exposure can be subtle and are often mistaken for other common illnesses, which is why it is hazardous, especially in children. They may feel fatigued, lose weight, suffer abdominal pain, hearing loss and seizures.

Chronic lead exposure in adults can cause serious health problems, including hypertension, memory issues, joint pain, reproductive harm, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. 

Following the 2023 recall of lead-tainted cinnamon in applesauce pouches, the FDA has continued to issue ongoing public health alerts for numerous ground cinnamon brands found to contain elevated levels of lead

Lead is classified as a probable human carcinogen because it causes cancer through indirect mechanisms, rather than by directly altering DNA. 

The primary way it does this is by inducing oxidative stress. 

Lead generates an excess of unstable molecules called free radicals, which can damage DNA, proteins and cell membranes. 

When this oxidative damage overwhelms the body’s repair systems, it can lead to mutations that initiate cancer.

Lead can also disrupt the function of key enzymes responsible for repairing damaged DNA and impair the activity of tumor suppressor genes, which are crucial for stopping uncontrolled cell growth. 

The strongest evidence for a link between lead exposure and cancer in humans involves cancers of the lung, stomach and kidneys.

The FDA added: ‘While the ground cinnamon products in this alert may not be a food targeted to young children, cinnamon is used in many foods young children consume.

‘Removing the ground cinnamon products in this alert from the market will prevent them from contributing elevated amounts of lead to the diets of children.’

Testing revealed lead concentrations of 2 to 7.7 parts per million in the products, a level hundreds of times higher than the FDA’s 5 parts per billion limit for bottled water (stock)

Lead is present in cinnamon as well as liquids in a form that is physically too small to see and does not readily undergo a chemical reaction that produces a detectable smell or visible change in the cinnamon.

The invisible threat cannot be detected without specialized laboratory testing.

The FDA continues to receive and review cinnamon sample results from state partners. 

The agency will update its alert if any new products are found to have unsafe levels of lead.