On March 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an alert for six cinnamon brands sold in the U.S. that have been found to contain elevated levels of lead.
See a list of products included in this alert on the FDA website. If you find any of these products, the FDA advises you to:
- Stop using and dispose of these products.
- Do not eat, sell, or serve these ground cinnamon products. You should discard them if found.
- Because these products have a long shelf life, you should check your home for these products and throw them away you find any.
- 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.
Consuming these products could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood. Long-term exposure (months to years) to elevated levels of lead in the diet could contribute to adverse health effects. The potential for adverse health effects from consuming food contaminated with lead vary depending on the level of lead in the food, age of the consumer, the length, amount, and frequency of exposure to lead in the food, and other exposures to different sources of lead. Learn more about lead.