The FDA issues an alert for 6 brands of cinnamon due to possibly containing lead : NPR

This combination of photos provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 shows cinnamon products sold in U.S. discount stores which contain elevated levels of lead.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration via AP

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U.S. Food and Drug Administration via AP

This combination of photos provided by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 shows cinnamon products sold in U.S. discount stores which contain elevated levels of lead.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration via AP

The Food and Drug Administration has issued an advisory for six brands of cinnamon due to possibly containing lead.

La Fiesta, Marcum, MK, Swad, Supreme Tradition and El Chilar brands of cinnamon are typically sold at discount stores and contain between 2.03 and 3.4 parts per million of lead.

No illnesses have been linked to the products.

The FDA said it has recommended voluntary recalls of the cinnamon brands, but one manufacturer, MTCI, the distributor of MK cinnamon, has not responded to the agency’s correspondence.

Consumers should discard the impacted cinnamon products, which include:

• La Fiesta brand, lot number 25033, sold at La Superior Supermercados.
• Marcum brand, best by dates Oct. 16, 2025 and April 6, 2025, sold at Save A Lot.
• MK brand, no lot number provided.
• Swad brand, lot number KX21223, sold at Patel Brothers.
• Supreme Tradition brand, best by dates include Sep. 29, 2025; April 17, 2025; Dec. 19, 2025; April 12, 2025; Aug. 24, 2025; April 21, 2025; and Sep. 22, 2025, sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar. 
• El Chilar brand, lot numbers F275EX1026 and D300EX1024, sold at La Joya Morelense in Baltimore.

Beginning in October 2023, the FDA recalled several brands of cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches, including WanaBana, Weis and Schnucks for possibly having lead. The agency has been investigating to see if the products were contaminated on purpose.

In children, long-term exposure to high levels of lead can lead to slower development, brain and nervous system damage, behavioral and learning problems and hearing and speech problems. Adults can experience similar impacts, but at much higher amounts of lead, according to the CDC.