Check your spices before you start baking for the holidays. The FDA is warning consumers about a potentially dangerous cinnamon product.
Another Cinnamon Brand Has Been Recalled Due to Presence of Lead
Published on Nov. 19, 2024
Thanksgiving is just around the corner. But before you get busy baking your pumpkin pies, you’ll want to check your cabinets for a particular product that’s been making headlines for containing a frightening ingredient.
On November 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that IHA Beverage, a Commerce, CA company, is recalling Super Brand Cinnamon Powder due to the discovery of lead. This is the latest recall in a spate of similar incidents affecting cinnamon brands across the country.
The Arkansas Department of Health discovered lead in the Super Brand products during a routine sampling, the FDA’s recall notice states. The affected products bear a UPC code of 610232012476, and are packaged in 4 oz. clear plastic bags decorated in red and gold. In another identifying feature unique to the tainted products, vitamin A and C are listed on the nutrition facts label.
An image of the packaging shared by the FDA shows that the affected products also include a white printed label acknowledging the risk of “cancer and reproductive harm.”
Lead is a naturally occurring poisonous metal found in the Earth’s crust that can greatly affect one’s health if consumed. According to the Cleveland Clinic, children are especially vulnerable to the effects of lead exposure—and any amount of lead found in a child’s blood is considered lead poisoning.
“Lead can affect many parts of your child’s body, including their brain, nerves, blood, digestive organs and more,” their experts write. “Lead poisoning can also lead to severe health, learning and behavioral problems, including sudden brain damage and long-term intellectual deficits,” they further note.
The affected Super Brand products were sold primarily via retail stores in California, “and a few stores across the U.S.” They were not sold online, the FDA states.
No illnesses have been reported in association with this particular recall. However, “in the past, the FDA has found several occurrences of lead compounds (lead chromate and lead oxide) intentionally added to spices, including turmeric, paprika, and cinnamon powder, that have caused illness and/or death,” the FDA disclosed in a separate safety notice.
If you have purchased Super Brand Cinnamon Powder 4 oz., the safety notice advises discarding the product in the trash or returning it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (323) 724-8551 (Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST).
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