Is There Lead in Cinnamon?
Some ground cinnamon products have been found with elevated lead. On March 6, 2024 the FDA advised consumers to throw away and not buy certain ground cinnamon products, and, based on a survey, recommended recalls from six distributors whose cinnamon had lead levels of 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million.
The FDA added another product on July 25, 2024 after testing by New York State’s agriculture department, and on July 30, 2024, in what it called its third alert, recommended recalls of 11 brands of ground cinnamon with lead levels of 2.03 to 7.68 parts per million.
The FDA said prolonged exposure to the products could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood, particularly for people who may already have elevated blood lead from other sources, and that no illnesses or adverse events had been reported at the time. It also said it does not need an action level before acting against a food with a harmful level of lead.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- RecallIn its March 6, 2024 alert the FDA advised consumers to throw away and not buy certain ground cinnamon products, and recommended that the firms voluntarily recall them. US FDA ↗
- Independent testBased on survey results, the FDA recommended recalls of ground cinnamon from six distributors whose products had elevated lead levels of 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million. US FDA ↗
- Government sourceThe FDA said prolonged exposure to those products could contribute to elevated blood lead levels, particularly for people who may already have elevated blood lead from other exposures, and that no illnesses had been reported. US FDA ↗
- RecallOn July 25, 2024 the FDA alerted consumers to another ground cinnamon product with elevated lead, found through testing by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. US FDA ↗
- RecallIn its third alert, on July 30, 2024, the FDA recommended recalls of 11 brands of ground cinnamon with elevated lead levels of 2.03 to 7.68 parts per million. US FDA ↗
- Government sourceThe FDA says action levels give industry clarity about contaminant levels it may consider to adulterate a food, but that it does not need them to act when a contaminant such as lead is at a harmful level. US FDA ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.