As the end of summer turns into autumn, you may be starting to prepare your favorite fall desserts, like apple pies or pumpkin spice cookies. These sweets, like most around this season, include the use of cinnamon to give them that subtle kick. However, you may want to think twice about using your go-to cinnamon brand this year.
A new investigation from Consumer Reports found high lead levels in 12 of 36 cinnamon brands they tested.
Their investigation comes after the lead poisoning of 500 children was traced back to cinnamon found in apple sauce packets last November, with the Food and Drug Administration recalling several products earlier this year.
For their investigation, CR purchased cinnamon from 17 stores in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and online. They sent the spice samples to a laboratory for cadmium, lead, mercury and arsenic testing.
Of the 36 types tested, only six had low enough levels of lead for unrestricted daily use: Sadaf’s Seven Spice and Cinnamon Powder, Loisa’s Organic Cinnamon, Morton & Basset’s 100% Ground Cinnamon, and 365 Whole Foods Market’s Ground Cinnamon and Organic Ground Cinnamon.
High lead levels were found in 12 type, including Badia and Mimi’s Products. They suggested caution using 18 types, including Kirkland Signature, Good & Gather, Great Value and Trader Joe’s.
Why is there lead in cinnamon?
According to CR, cinnamon is made using the inner bark of cinnamomum trees. Because lead naturally occurs in the Earth’s crust, it’s in the tree bark.
“Any natural product that comes into contact with soil or groundwater has the potential to take up trace amounts of lead that cannot be removed,” Laura Shumow, executive director of the American Spice Trade Association, told CR.
According to Shumow, soil can also be contaminated with lead from industrial by-products. CR also said almost all cinnamon sold in the United States is imported from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia and other countries with fewer regulations surrounding chemical contaminants.
How to stay safe
You might be thinking, “Now what?” Giving up cinnamon does not have to be the answer.
Do not rely on labels like “organic” to guide you in your cinnamon purchases, CR advises. Although that label can be helpful in terms of produce, a label alone is not enough to ensure low levels of lead in cinnamon.
Consumer Reports also suggests people be cautious of bringing home cinnamon products from travels abroad, as levels of heavy metals might be even higher in countries that produce it.
If all else fails, try to stick with CR’s recommendations. With these products, you can have at least a teaspoon or more a day with no harm to you.
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