More ground cinnamon recalled due to lead contamination

ALB Flavor brand cinnamon powder is being voluntarily recalled because it may be contaminated with elevated levels of lead, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The cinnamon product, distributed by ALB-USA Enterprises of the Bronx, New York, was shipped to retailers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan and New York. The cinnamon is sold under the brand name ALB Flavor and is packaged in plastic bags with a net weight of 100 grams. The packaging consists of a brown cardboard box with a picture of cinnamon powder and two cinnamon sticks in the center at the bottom, the FDA said. Consumers are urged to stop using the product and return to the store for a refund.

The recall, which occurred Friday, followed a separate FDA warning last week about another cinnamon product sold in the U.S. that was contaminated with lead.

This warning concerned ground cinnamon sold under the name “El Servidor” and distributed by a company of the same name based in Elmhurst, New York.

The new cases join a long list of cinnamon products that the FDA has found to contain high levels of lead.

During tests, it was found that El Servidor cinnamon had an elevated lead content of 20 ppm.

While the FDA has not set limits on lead content in spices, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has proposed an international safety standard of 2.5 ppm lead for bark spices such as cinnamon.

The FDA asked the distributor to voluntarily recall the product. The agency advised consumers to stop using the product and throw it away.

In March, the FDA warned about lead in cinnamon sold at Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and other stores. These products had lead levels ranging from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million.

A sample of cinnamon used in WanaBana’s previously recalled Apple Cinnamon Fruit Puree was found to contain 5,110 ppm of lead.

The cinnamon mentioned in the El Servidor warning was sold in a New York City supermarket, although it is unclear whether it was distributed more widely. The FDA did not respond to a request for comment.

Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, called the lead contamination “alarming.”

“We assume something is safe until proven otherwise,” Frame said. “It’s only when people get sick that recalls actually occur. Often by then it’s too late; people have already consumed the products.”

In a perfect world, she added, the FDA could preempt recalls by testing foods for dangerous contaminants before people come into contact with them.

“It’s a little scary to think about what could potentially be lurking in our food system because we lack the resources,” Frame said.

Although it’s unclear exactly why lead appears in cinnamon products, the FDA suggested during the applesauce investigation that it was financially motivated. Lead chromate is orange-yellow and can give spices a more intense color and increase their weight.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with cinnamon products of the El Servidor and ALB Flavor brands.

Lead is toxic, especially for children

Elevated lead levels can be extremely toxic to the body, especially for young children who are more at risk due to their smaller size and the fact that they are still growing. High lead levels in this age group can cause long-term neurological and developmental problems such as learning disabilities and lower IQ.

Frame does not believe that consumers should avoid cinnamon completely, but recommends limiting consumption, especially in young children.

“If you eat oatmeal with cinnamon every morning, you might want to switch to a different variety for a while until we get everything sorted out, just to reduce the exposure,” she said.

Symptoms of lead exposure may include:

• Headache
• stomach pain
• fatigue