Spices bring comfort, cultural connection and the spirit of the holidays.
They can make our house smell wonderful and ours Food is delicious. They can satisfy our cravings, expand our culinary horizons, and help us eat things we wouldn’t normally like. Spices have health-enhancing properties and, medicinally, have been used to heal people since ancient times.
But, lately, the spice is getting a bad rep.
In September 2024, Consumer Reports, a nonprofit organization created to inform consumers about products sold in the United States, investigated more than three dozen cinnamon products and found that 1 in 3 contained lead levels above 1 part per million. Which is enough to recall. New York, an American state that has published guidelines for heavy metals in spices.
The Food and Drug Administration issued three alerts in 2024, warning consumers about lead in certain brands of cinnamon products. Such notifications make consumers aware and make people think whether the spice products they buy are safe or not.
As an environmental epidemiologist with training in nutritional science, I have investigated the relationship between nutritional status, diet and heavy metal exposure in children.
There are many things consumers should think about about lead – and other heavy metals – in cinnamon.
Why is lead found in cinnamon?
Most people are familiar with cinnamon in two forms – stick and ground spice. Both come from the dried inner bark of the cinnamon tree, which is harvested after a few years of cultivation. Cinnamon for the US market is largely imported from Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, India and China.
One way lead can accumulate in the bark of cinnamon trees is when the trees are grown in contaminated soil. Lead can also be introduced into cinnamon products during processing, such as grinding.
When ground cinnamon is prepared, some producers may intentionally add lead compounds to increase the weight or color of the product and, thus, bring a higher selling price. This is called “food adulteration” and products with known or suspected adulteration are refused entry into the US.
However, in the fall of 2023, nearly 600 cases in the US of elevated blood lead levels, defined as levels equal to or higher than 3.5 micrograms per deciliter—mostly in children—were linked to consumption of certain brands of cinnamon applesauce.
There are no federal guidelines for lead or other heavy metals in spices. (Photo: Freepik)
Lead levels in the cinnamon used to produce those products ranged from 2,270 to 5,110 parts per million, indicating food contamination. The manufacturing plant was investigated by the FDA.
More broadly, spices purchased from sellers in the U.S. have lower lead levels than spices sold abroad.
There is some evidence that cinnamon sticks have lower lead levels than the ground spice. Lead levels in cinnamon sold in the United States ranged from 0.02 to 3.52 parts per million analyzed by Consumer Reports.
These levels were at least 1,500 times lower than in adulterated cinnamon.
There are no federal guidelines for lead or other heavy metals in spices. New York State has proposed stricter guidelines than its current level of 1 part per million, which would allow the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets to remove products from commerce if lead levels exceed 0.21 parts per million.
What does ‘dose make poison’ mean?
Overall, the current FDA guideline on daily intake of lead from the diet is to limit lead intake to 2.2 micrograms per day for children. For women of reproductive age, this value is 8.8 micrograms.
The amount of lead we get from food depends on the level of lead in the food and how much of that food we eat. Higher doses mean more potential harm. The frequency with which we consume foods—meaning daily versus occasionally—is also important.
For spices like cinnamon, the amount and frequency of consumption depends on cultural traditions and personal preference. For many, cinnamon is a seasonal spice; Others use it year-round in savory dishes or sauces.
Cinnamon is a favorite in baked goods. Take a cinnamon roll recipe that calls for 1.5 teaspoons (a little less than 12 grams) of the spice. If a recipe yields 12 rolls, each will contain about 1 gram of cinnamon. In Consumer Reports research, some cinnamon products were classified as “okay to use” or “best to use.” Cinnamon products in the “OK to use” category had the highest lead value of 0.87 parts per million, and in the “excellent to use” category, it was 0.15 parts per million.
Assuming that no other food contains lead, a child would need to consume 2.5 or more rolls made with “OK to Use” cinnamon to exceed the FDA guidelines that limit lead intake from food to 2.2 micrograms per day. To pass this guideline with cinnamon “best to use”, a child must eat 15 or more rolls.
Can cinnamon contribute to elevated blood lead levels?
Because of the effects of lead on development in early life, the greatest concern is for exposure in young children and pregnant women. Lead is absorbed in the small intestine, where it can take up cellular receptors developed to carry iron and other metals.
The effect of contaminated food on an individual’s blood lead level depends on the dose of exposure and the proportion of lead available for intestinal absorption. For most spices, the proportion of available lead was 49 percent, which means that about half of the ingested lead will be absorbed.
Because of the effects of lead on development in early life, the greatest concern is for exposure in young children and pregnant women. (Photo: Freepik)
Absorption of lead is greater after fasting for three hours or more, and skipping breakfast can lead to high blood lead levels in children. People with nutritional deficiencies such as iron deficiency also tend to absorb more lead and have higher blood lead levels. This is because our body compensates for the deficiency by producing more receptors to capture iron from food. Lead takes advantage of more receptors to enter the body. Young children and pregnant women are at high risk for developing iron deficiency, so there is good reason for caution about lead in the foods they consume.
Studies show that among children with lead poisoning in the US, contaminated condiments were one of several sources of lead exposure. Studies estimating blood lead levels from statistical models suggest that daily consumption of 5 micrograms of lead or more from spices can increase blood lead levels.
For occasional or seasonal consumption, or for lower levels of contamination, more research is needed to understand how lead in spices affects blood lead levels.
For people with other sources of lead in their homes, jobs, or hobbies, additional lead from food or spices may be more important because it adds to the cumulative dose from multiple exposure sources.
How to test for high blood lead levels
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children exposed to lead get a blood lead test at ages 1 and 2.
Older children can also take the test. Finger-prick screening tests are often available in pediatric offices, but results may need to be confirmed with venous blood if the screening results are positive.
Adults in the U.S. are not routinely tested for lead exposure, but concerned couples planning to have children should talk to their health care providers.
What to consider when using or buying cinnamon or other spices
If the product is on an FDA alert or Consumer Reports “do not use” list, discard it.
Other questions to consider are:
1. Does your household use spices frequently and in large quantities?
2. Do young children or pregnant women in your household eat spices?
3. Do you usually consume spices in breakfast or drinks?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, buy good quality products from large, reputable sellers. Consider using cinnamon sticks if possible.
And continue to enjoy the spices!