Ground cinnamon sold at discount retailers contaminated with lead, FDA urges recall

Ground cinnamon sold by U.S. discount retailers including Dollar General and Family Dollar was found to be contaminated with lead, the Food and Drug Administration said.

The FDA is advising consumers to throw away and not buy these products and urged retailers to voluntarily recall the products.

"Based on FDA’s assessment, prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe and could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood," the agency said in an announcement.

Long-term lead exposure could lead to adverse health effects, the agency said.

Impacted products include:

• The La Fiesta brand sold by La Superior and SuperMercados
• Marcum brand sold by Save A Lot stores
• MK brands sold by SF Supermarket
• Swad brand sold by Patel Brothers
• El Chilar brand sold by La Joya Morelense
• Supreme Tradition brand sold by Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores.

So far, there have been no reports of adverse events or illness in connection to these products, the FDA said.

According to the agency, a targeted survey of ground cinnamon products from discount retail stores following an October 2023 recall of cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches that were tainted with lead and sickened hundreds of children.

The FDA said while ground cinnamon in itself is not targeted towards children, the product may regularly be used in food consumed by young kids.

"Consistent with the agency’s Closer to Zero initiative, which focuses on reducing childhood exposure to lead, the agency is recommending voluntary recall of the products listed above because prolonged exposure to the products may be unsafe," the FDA said. "Removing the ground cinnamon products in this alert from the market will prevent them from contributing elevated amounts of lead to the diets of children."

Dollar Tree Inc. did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the FDA said it's "continuing to work with manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to remove unsafe products from the market and will update the Safety Alert with new information as it becomes available."

What does lead exposure do?

Lead exposure can seriously harm a child's health and lead to long-term health effects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, including:

• Damage to the brain and nervous system
• Slowed growth and development
• Learning and behavior problems
• Hearing and speech problems

This can lead to negative effects on learning and focus, the CDC notes.

Contributing: Emily DeLetter