Consumer Reports recently conducted a study that caused people to worry about the safety of a few well-known brands of cinnamon powder and spice mixes. The study found that 12 brands had too-high amounts of lead, which is very bad for your health, especially for kids and other vulnerable people.
Consumer Reports Found Some Troubling Things
Consumer Reports looked into 36 different cinnamon goods and spice blends that contain cinnamon and tried them. Twelve of these items had lead levels higher than 1 part per million (ppm), a very high number used to initiate recalls in New York. New York is the only U.S. state with special rules about heavy metals in spices, which is worth mentioning.
Paras cinnamon powder had the most lead, with 3.52 parts per million (ppm). People are very worried about this because it is more than three times the safe level. The amount of lead in other brands, like EGN cinnamon powder and Mimi’s Products ground cinnamon, was also higher than what is considered safe.
Brands That Were Affected
There were more than the allowed amounts of lead in the following cinnamon brands and spice blends:
- 3.52 parts per million of cinnamon powder
- 2.91 ppm for EGN cinnamon powder and
- What Mimi Sells 2.03 ppm of ground cinnamon
- Spices found in ShopRite Bowl & Basket ground cinnamon: 1.82 ppm
- Cinnamon ground from Rani Brand: 1.39 percent
- Amount of 1.27 ppm in Zara Foods cinnamon powder
- Spice powder from Three Rivers: 1.26 parts per million
- 1.25 ppm for Yu Yee brand five spice powder
- BaiLiFeng five spice powder: 1.15 parts per million
- 1.05 ppm for Spicy King five spice powder
- 1.03 ppm of Badia cinnamon powder
- High level of cinnamon powder: 1.02 ppm
Because of these results, some companies, like Paras and EGN, have said they will no longer sell these goods and take them off shop shelves. This is one of the steps to protect customers from more risk.
Safe Cinnamon Items
Even though the results were scary, Consumer Reports said that six items were safe to use daily. These names had much lower amounts of lead, which made them a better choice for people who are worried about contamination:
- 0.02 parts per million for 365 Whole Foods Market organic ground cinnamon
- Loisa: 0.04 ppm for organic cinnamon
- Mortons and Bassetts in San Francisco Ground cinnamon that is 100% organic: 0.04 ppm
- Sadaf cinnamon powder: 0.04% ppm
- 365 Whole Foods Market cinnamon powder: 0.12 parts per million
- Sadaf seven spice: 0.15 parts per million
Why It’s Dangerous For Lead To Be Around
Lead is a dangerous heavy metal that can hurt people in even small amounts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that no amount of lead is healthy for humans to eat.
Lead poisoning builds up over time and can hurt your health for a long time, especially in kids. Some problems with growth, learning, and even behavior have been linked to it.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned about the risks of lead. In 2019, lead pollution was linked to nearly a million deaths around the world. However, lead still poses a risk to health, especially in foods that are eaten often.
What Should People Buy?
If you have them in your home, you must stop using any of the concerned cinnamon items immediately. You should look for recalls and consider how to safely eliminate the affected things.
Choose names like 365 Whole Foods Market and Loisa, which have been tested and shown to have very little or no lead.
Because of these results, people who care about food safety want the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to set national rules for heavy metals in spices similar to those in New York. This would help prevent things from getting contaminated again and protect consumers.
Stay Up To Date
Consumer Reports and the FDA have the most up-to-date stories on food safety and product recalls. The first thing you can do to protect yourself and your family from dangerous chemicals like lead is to stay aware of possible risks.
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