Testing found unsafe lead levels in 6 cinnamon products, FDA warns. 4 are recalled
Six ground cinnamon products sold by discount store chains were the subject of an FDA warning over elevated lead levels Wednesday afternoon.
The FDA began testing some discount store products for lead and chromium content after the fall and winter mass recalls of cinnamon applesauce pouches linked to heightened levels of lead in children. Lead levels measured such, the warning noted, “that prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe.”
But the below products have 1/1000th of the lead found in the cinnamon applesauce made by Austrofoods, which the FDA points out measured between 2,270 to 5,110 parts per million in the cinnamon.
READ MORE: Elevated lead in cinnamon applesauce update: a lawsuit in Miami, the FDA in Ecuador
After an FDA request, El Chilar, Marcum, Swad and Supreme Tradition have been recalled as of 4 p.m. Thursday. The vast majority of food recalls are not ordered by the FDA or USDA, but are made voluntarily by manufacturers, sometimes after agency request.
Consumer advocacy group U.S. PIRG Education Fund used Wednesday’s warning to express its dissatisfaction with that.
“If we know that a food is making people sick, the FDA should be able to tell the company behind it to recall that product, rather than asking and waiting to see whether the company complies,” U.S. PIRG Consumer Watchdog Teresa Murray said. “Time is our enemy when tainted food remains on store shelves, in kitchen cabinets and refrigerators.
“The FDA can’t currently recall potentially dangerous foods without giving the manufacturer or distributor the opportunity to recall it voluntarily,” she continued. “We need the FDA to use all of its authority, and if that’s not enough to protect Americans’ health, Congress must give the agency the power it needs to do so.”
Here’s what you need to know.
The cinnamon in question
Information about the cinnamon products in the warning (“ppm” stands for “parts per million”). If you have any of these products, toss them into the garbage or try to return them to the store for a refund. Until an actual recall is issued, take a copy of this story or the FDA warning when you return it.
Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon. Sold at: Dollar Tree, Family Dollar. Lot Nos.: 09E8, best by 09/29/25, tested lead concentration, 3.37 ppm; 04E11, best by 04/17/25, 2.26 ppm; 12C2, best by 12/19/25, 2.03 ppm; 04ECB12, best by 04/12/25, 2.34 ppm; 08A__, best by 08/24/25, 3.14 ppm; 04E5, best by 04/21/25, 3.12 and 2.88; 09E20 (only in Missouri), best by 09-22-205, 3.13. Distributed by Chesapeake, Virginia’s Greenbriar International. Recalled by: manufacturer Colonna Brothers from North Bergen, New Jersey.
La Fiesta Canale Molida. Sold at: La Superior SuperMercados. Lot No.: 25033, tested lead concentration, 2.73 ppm. Distributed by: La Miranda, California’s La Fiesta Food Products.
Marcum Ground Cinnamon. Sold at: Save A Lot stores. Lot Nos.: 10D8, best by 10/16/25, tested lead concentration, 3.2 ppm; and 0400B1, best by 04/06/25, 2.7 ppm. Distributed by: Saint Ann, Missouri’s Moran Foods. Recalled by: manufacturer Colonna Brothers from North Bergen, New Jersey.
Swad Cinnamon Powder. Sold at: Patel Brothers. Lot No.: KX21223, tested lead concentration, 2.12 ppm. Distributed and recalled by: Skokie, Illinois’ Raja Foods.
MK Cinnamon Powder. Sold at: SF Supermarket. Lot No.: None designated, tested lead concentration, 2.99 ppm. Distributed by: Santa Fe Springs, California’s MTCI.
El Chilar Canale Molida. Sold at: La Joya Morelense in Baltimore. Lot Nos.: F275EX1026, tested lead concentration, 3.4 ppm; and D300EX1024, 2.9 ppm. Distributed and recalled by: Apoka, Florida’s El Chilar.
