This is the first week it’s really felt like fall to me, and just in time, too, with the autumn equinox coming on Sunday. The temps in my neighborhood have been consistently lower, it’s slightly but still noticeably darker when I get home from work, and Dunkin’ is trying to bully me into ordering one of their eleventy new Pumpkin Spice offerings. While pumpkin itself isn’t my jam, I do looooove cinnamon and many other warming spices that have their moment in the receding-sun this time of year. Well friends, don’t panic, but disaster has struck this season of spice. Consumer Reports has announced 12 brands (12!!) that have high levels of lead in their cinnamon and five spice powders. In their testing, Consumer Reports adhered to the New York state standard that considers anything greater than 1 part per million (ppm) to be too much lead. The brand with the worst results weighed in at 3.52 ppm. Here’s more key items from the new reporting:
The dirty dozen: 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.
1 (part) in a million: The ground cinnamon powders and spice blends tested by Consumer Reports showed lead levels above 1 part per million (ppm), which is a level used by New York state to indicate products that should be recalled, according to the nonprofit. Consumer Reports’ food safety experts advised people to “avoid those products.” 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.
Throw it out: “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.” Frequent lead exposure can cause immune system suppression, reproductive issues, kidney damage, mood disorders, cognitive issues and hypertension in adults, according to Mayo Clinic. In children, lead exposure can contribute to slower growth and development, behavioral issues, seizures and other physical symptoms, the medical center said.
By the numbers: Paras cinnamon powder had the most lead containing 3.52 ppm, according to the report. The lead content in the other cinnamon and multi-spice products Consumer Reports suggested people avoid are: 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 Brand 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).
These brands have safe levels: Consumer Reports also found some cinnamon and spice products from brands that were deemed safe after testing their lead content. Some of the brands and products include McCormick cinnamon (0.23 ppm), Kirkland Signature organic Saigon cinnamon (0.80 ppm), Great Value ground cinnamon (0.79 ppm), Trader Joe’s organic ground cinnamon (0.69 ppm), Good & Gather ground cinnamon (0.56 ppm), Simply Organic cinnamon (0.28 ppm), 365 Whole Foods Market ground cinnamon (0.12 ppm), 365 Whole Foods Market organic ground cinnamon (0.02 ppm) and Sadaf cinnamon powder (0.04 ppm).
[From USA Today]
Check your pantries! Doesn’t matter how recently you bought your spices — if it’s from one of the cited brands it is not worth the risk of exposure to lead. Looking at Amazon, prices range from $3.49 for 365 Whole Foods Market organic ground cinnamon, to $6.11 for Simply Organic, both brands from the safe-to-use list. But the peace of mind? Priceless. Consumer Reports is such an invaluable resource. Based on their findings, the two most egregious brands, Paras and EGN, have agreed to stop selling their cinnamon powders and pull any existing product from stores. But many of the other brands responded by simply spewing out PR on how they do their own testing. Including, I’m sorry to say, the corporation behind ShopRite Bowl & Basket, who said “the quality of our products is of the utmost importance and our cinnamon meets all safety and quality standards.” Reminder: Consumer Reports found 1.82 ppm of lead in their powders. And speaking of trust issues with businesses, should we now be asking restaurants to confirm which brands they use? Happy fall, y’all.
Photos credit: Pavel Danilyuk, Ekaterina Bolovtsova and Marta Branco on Pexels