Lead in cinnamon brands Badia, EGN, Paras powders

Cinnamon is a popular ingredient in baked goods and other savory dishes, but consumers should be more careful when choosing a brand of the spice, as a recent report found high traces of lead in some companies’ products.

Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers evaluate the safety and effectiveness of products, found high levels of lead in cinnamon powder and multi-ingredient spice powders from 12 brands, including Paras, EGN, Mimi’s Products, Bowl & Basket, Rani Brand, Zara Foods, Three Rivers, Yu Yee Brand, BaiLiFeng, Spicy King, Badia and Deep.

Ground cinnamon powder and spice blends tested by Consumer Reports showed lead levels above 1 part per million (ppm), the level New York state uses to label products for recall, according to the nonprofit. Consumer Reports food safety experts advised people to “avoid these products.”

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Just a quarter teaspoon of any of the cinnamon products listed contains more lead than a person should consume in an entire day, says James Rogers, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports.

“If you have one of these products, we think you should throw it away,” Rogers said. “Even small amounts of lead pose a risk because it can build up in the body over time and stay there for years, seriously damaging your health.”

Frequent exposure to lead can cause a weakened immune system, reproductive problems, kidney damage, mood disorders, cognitive problems and high blood pressure in adults, according to the Mayo Clinic. In children, lead exposure can contribute to slower growth and development, behavioral problems, seizures and other physical symptoms, the medical center said.

How much lead was found in products containing cinnamon and multi-spice powder?

According to the report, Paras cinnamon powder contained the most lead, at 3.52 ppm. The lead content in other cinnamon and multi-ingredient products that people should avoid, according to Consumer Reports, are:

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 Powder (1.26 ppm)
Yu Yee 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)
Deep Cinnamon Powder (1.02 ppm)

Paras and EGN to stop selling their cinnamon powder products

Following the publication of the Consumer Reports report, Paras and EGN informed the nonprofit organization that they would stop selling their cinnamon powder products and pull them from stores.

Deep and Yu Yee Brand told Consumer Reports that they “either tested their product or relied on testing from their suppliers.”

Mimi’s Products relies on analytical reports provided by its suppliers that show “our ground cinnamon has not been found to contain lead levels in excess of 1 part per million,” a spokesperson for NAC Foods, the manufacturer of Mimi’s products, told USA TODAY.

Wakefern Food Corp., owner of ShopRite Bowl & Basket, told CNN that “the quality of our products is our top priority, and our cinnamon meets all safety and quality standards.”

Badia Spices ground cinnamon products comply with all federal and international regulations, a company spokesman said.

USA TODAY contacted several other companies mentioned in the report but did not receive a response.

Which cinnamon products contain less lead?

Consumer Reports also found several cinnamon and spice brands that were deemed safe after testing for lead content. Some of the brands and products include McCormick cinnamon (0.23 ppm), Kirkland Signature Saigon Organic Cinnamon (0.80 ppm), Great Value Ground Cinnamon (0.79 ppm), Trader Joe’s Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.69 ppm), Good & Gather Ground Cinnamon (0.56 ppm), Simply Organic Cinnamon (0.28 ppm), Whole Foods Market 365 Ground Cinnamon (0.12 ppm), Whole Foods Market 365 Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.02 ppm), and Sadaf Cinnamon Powder (0.04 ppm).

McCormick told Consumer Reports that it monitors “environmental conditions that could increase the natural occurrence of heavy metals.” Simply Organic said it has adopted New York state limits and conducts “comprehensive internal inspections and additional product testing for each incoming shipment of material,” according to the nonprofit.