Health Alert: Recall of Cinnamon Products Due to Elevated Lead Levels
The FDA has released a product alert for elevated lead levels in certain ground cinnamon products. They found that some of these products have higher levels of lead, which can be harmful if you're exposed to it for a long time. Even though these cinnamon products might not be meant for young kids, cinnamon is used in many foods that kids eat. To keep children safe, the FDA suggests throwing away or not buying the specific ground cinnamon products listed because they could be risky for your health, especially for kids who might already have higher levels of lead from other sources.
No one has reported getting sick from these products so far, but the FDA wants to be cautious. They recommend recalling the listed products voluntarily to prevent any harm, following their initiative to reduce children's exposure to lead.
Here's a bit of background: The FDA started looking into this after a recall in October 2023 related to cinnamon in apple products. They checked ground cinnamon from discount stores, finding some with higher lead levels. The FDA is now suggesting recalls from six distributors with lead levels ranging from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million (ppm). These levels are much lower than those found in cinnamon from Ecuador, which is being investigated for levels between 2,270 ppm to 5,110 ppm.
States like Maryland and Missouri also checked cinnamon samples and shared their findings with the FDA. This cooperative effort helps ensure that our food is safe and removes any harmful products from the market. The FDA will continue to work with manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to remove unsafe products from the market, and to further investigate the sources of the lead contamination as appropriate.
Products
| Distributor | Retailers | Brand Names(s) |
Lots/Codes | Lead Concentration (ppm) |
Product Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Fiesta Food Products La Miranda, CA |
La Superior SuperMercados |
La Fiesta | 25033 | 2.73 |
|
| Moran Foods, LLC Saint Ann, MO |
Save A Lot | Marcum |
Best By: 10/16/25 10DB 04/06/25 0400B1 (Missouri) |
3.20 2.90 |
|
| MTCI Santa Fe Springs, CA |
SF Supermarket | MK | No codes | 2.99 |
|
| Raja Foods LLC Skokie, IL |
Patel Brothers | Swad | KX21223 | 2.12 |
|
| Greenbriar International, Inc. Chesapeake, VA |
Dollar Tree Family Dollar |
Supreme Tradition |
Best By: 09/29/25 09E8 04/17/25 04E11 12/19/25 12C2 04/12/25 04ECB12 08/24/25 08A_ _ 04/21/25 04E5 04/21/25 04E5 2025-09-22 09E20 (Missouri) |
3.37 2.26 2.03 2.34 3.14 3.12 2.88 3.13 |
|
| El Chilar Apopka, FL |
La Joya Morelense (Baltimore, MD) |
El Chilar |
F275EX1026 (Maryland) D300EX1024 (Maryland) |
3.40 2.93 |
|
Customers Are Advised To
- Stop using and dispose of these products.
- Consumers should not eat, sell, or serve ground cinnamon products listed in the table above and should discard them.
- These products have a long shelf life. Consumers should check their homes and discard these products.
- If there’s suspicion that someone has been exposed to elevated levels of lead, talk to your healthcare provider. Most people have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure.
Health care professionals, patients and consumers are encouraged to report complaints and cases of exposure and adverse events to the FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.
To report a complaint or adverse event (illness or serious allergic reaction), you can
- Call an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator if you wish to speak directly to a person about your problem.
- Complete an electronic Voluntary MedWatch form online.
- Complete a paper Voluntary MedWatch form that can be mailed to FDA.
Lead Poisoning
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), lead is a poisonous substance that can harm people of all ages and health conditions. It's crucial to safeguard children from lead exposure to ensure their long-term well-being. The effects of lead exposure in children are often hard to spot. Most children don't show any obvious symptoms right away. If you think your child might have come into contact with lead-containing products, talk to their doctor about getting a blood lead test. Lead poisoning can only be diagnosed through medical testing.
While the signs and symptoms of lead poisoning vary, short-term exposure can lead to the following symptoms:
- Headache
- Abdominal pain/Colic
- Vomiting
- Anemia
Longer term exposure could result in additional symptoms:
- Irritability
- Lethargy
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches or muscle prickling/burning
- Occasional abdominal discomfort
- Constipation
- Difficulty concentrating/Muscular exhaustibility
- Headache
- Tremor
- Weight loss
More Information
