Several brands of discount-store cinnamon are chockful of lead and should be discarded, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned this week.
In all, half a dozen brands were listed among the ones contaminated, including La Fiesta, sold at La Superior SuperMercados; Marcum, from Save A Lot; and MK, sold at SF Supermarket. MK is distributed by MTCI, which has not responded to FDA contact attempts.
“The FDA is advising consumers to throw away and not to buy these ground cinnamon products,” the agency said Wednesday. “The FDA has recommended that the firms voluntarily recall these products, with the exception of the MTCI cinnamon. The FDA has been unable to reach MTCI to share our findings and request that the company initiate a recall.”
Ground cinnamon sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores was also on the list. A company spokesperson said the offending spice has been removed and that consumers can return the products for a refund.
“No illnesses or adverse events have been reported to date in association with these products,” the FDA said Wednesday.
The current probe stemmed from last year’s recall of cinnamon-applesauce pouches whose contents were found to be laced with lead. Lead can make its way into spices via the soil a spice is grown in, the processing facility, the storage method or when it’s added for weight or color, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Lead in the products urged for recall Wednesday showed levels of 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million. While it was much less than the lead found in the cinnamon-infused applesauce pouches — those levels ranged from 2,270 parts per million to 5,110 parts per million — any amount can be harmful, the FDA emphasized.
Lead is a neurotoxin, and there is no safe level of consumption. This is especially true for children, whose developing brains are extra susceptible to lead damage.
With News Wire Services
