Food safety experts are warning that some common spices in your cupboard may contain high levels of lead.
Consumer Reports , a nonprofit that helps consumers assess the safety and performance of goods, found high levels of lead in cinnamon powder and multi-spice powders from 12 brands — including Paras, EGN, Mimi's Products, Bowl & Basket, Rani Brand, Zara Foods, Three Rivers, Yu Yee Brand, BaiLiFeng, Spicy King, Badia and Deep.
Simply a quarter teaspoon of any of the mentioned cinnamon products contains more lead than an individual should consume in an entire day, James Rogers, the director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports, said.
“If you have one of those products, we think you should throw it away," according to Rogers. "Even small amounts of lead pose a risk because, over time, it can accumulate in the body and remain there for years, seriously harming health."
Which products Consumer Reports recommends you don't use
Consumer Reports recommends people avoid using these products as they contain lead.
- Paras Cinnamon Powder , 3.52 ppm
- EGN Cinnamon Powder , 2.91 ppm
- Mimi's Products Ground Cinnamon , 2.03 ppm
- Bowl & Basket Ground Cinnamon , 1.82 ppm
- Rani Brand Ground Cinnamon , 1.39 ppm
- Zara Foods Cinnamon Powder , 1.27 ppm
- Three Rivers Cinnamon Stick Powder , 1.26 ppm
- Yu Yee Brand Five Spice Powder , 1.25 ppm
- BaiLiFeng Five Spice Powder , 1.15 ppm
- Spicy King Five Spices Powder , 1.05 ppm
- Badia Cinnamon Powder , 1.03 ppm
- Deep Cinnamon Powder , 1.02 ppm
Paras and EGN to stop selling their products
Following Consumer Reports' report, Paras and EGN told the nonprofit that they would stop selling their cinnamon powder products and remove them from stores' shelves.
Deep and Yu Yee Brand told Consumer Reports that they "tested their product or relied on tests from their suppliers."
Mimi’s Products relies on analytical reports provided by its vendors, which indicate that “no lead levels exceeding 1 part per million were found in our ground cinnamon," a spokesperson for NAC Foods, the manufacturer of Mimi's Products, told USA TODAY.
Wakefern Food Corp., the owner of ShopRite Bowl & Basket, told CNN that “the quality of our products is of the utmost importance and our cinnamon meets all safety and quality standards.”
Badia Spices' ground cinnamon products comply with all federal and international laws, a spokesperson for the company told the outlet.
McCormick told Consumer Reports it monitors “environmental conditions that may increase the natural occurrence of heavy metals.” Simply Organic said that it has adopted New York state’s limits and it conducts “comprehensive in-house inspections and additional product testing for every shipment of incoming material," according to the nonprofit.
USA TODAY has contacted several other companies named in the report but has not received a response.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: You should throw out these 12 spices. Consumer Reports warns they have high lead levels
Local News
