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After recalling a bunch of cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches—tied to more than 460 confirmed and suspected cases of lead poisoning—last November, the FDA looked further into the lead content of ground cinnamon sold at discount stores. One result of this investigation: On March 6, the FDA released a statement recommending the recall of six ground cinnamon products due to elevated lead levels.
The contaminated cinnamon brands and specific lots affected are:
- La Fiesta, lot 25033, sold at La Superior SuperMercados
- Marcum, best by 10/16/25 and 4/06/25, sold at Save A Lot
- MTCI, sold at SF Supermarket
- Swad, lot KX21223, sold at Patel Brothers
- Supreme Tradition, best buy dates from 4/25 through 9/25, sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar
- El Chillar, F275EX1026 and D300EX1024, sold at La Joya Morelense in Baltimore, Maryland
The FDA urges consumers to avoid buying these ground cinnamon products and to throw them out if they already purchased them. Lead levels found in the spices range from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million, per the statement. Those numbers are far lower than the concentration found in the applesauce pouches recalled last fall—which was upwards of 5110 parts per million—however, the FDA stresses that prolonged use of the recalled cinnamons “could be unsafe,” especially for young children.
Lead is everywhere—in the environment, paint, plumbing, and food—so federally accepted levels vary depending on the consumer good. FDA draft guidance for food intended for babies and young children, for example, is 10 parts per billion for fruits, vegetables, yogurts, and meat and grain mixtures. The FDA also maintains that there is no known safe level of exposure to lead.
To ensure this issue doesn’t spread further, the FDA sent a letter to all U.S. cinnamon manufacturers, processors, distributors, and facility operators to remind them of their legal obligation to prevent contamination.
People with lead positioning often don’t show symptoms, per the CDC, which is why prevention is so important. Long-term effects depend on the level of exposure and include memory problems, impaired speech, lowered IQ, fatigue, irritability, constipation, and vomiting, among others. In other words, if you have one of the recalled ground cinnamon products sitting in your pantry, sprinkling it on your (or your kid’s) oatmeal isn’t worth the risk.
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