The FDA recommended a voluntary recall on July 25, 2024, for ALB Flavor brand Ground Cinnamon due to the possibility of contamination “with elevated levels of lead.”

The company that manufactures the product, ALB-USA Enterprises, has complied and the recalled product has been removed from store shelves where it was distributed from December 15, 2022, until May 13, 2024, including:

• New York
• Connecticut
• Michigan
• Massachusets

The UPC number “5304000333362” appears on the back of the packaging, along with a “best before” date of “30/08/2025” and the lot number “LA02.”

You can access the FDA’s full statement here.

What Should You Do

The FDA typically recommends that consumers:

• Stop using this product and dispose of it immediately. 
• Consumers should not eat, sell, or serve this ground cinnamon product and should discard it.  
• This product has a long shelf life. Consumers should check their pantries and discard the product.  
• If there’s suspicion that someone has been exposed to elevated levels of lead, talk to your healthcare provider. Most people have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure. 

According to the FDA recall, “It is possible that increased blood lead levels may be the only apparent sign of lead exposure,” the recall notice states.

If a child is exposed to enough lead for a protracted period of time (e.g., weeks to months) permanent damage to the central nervous system may occur. For adults, chronic lead exposure is associated with kidney dysfunction, hypertension, and neurocognitive effects.”

ALB-USA Enterprises and the FDA are investigating what caused the contamination. Customers with additional questions or concerns can contact the company over the phone at 917-922-5627 or 929-431-8505 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday to Friday.

To report a complaint or adverse event (illness or serious allergic reaction), you can

• Call an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator if you wish to speak directly to a person about your problem.
• Complete an electronic Voluntary MedWatch form online.
• Complete a paper Voluntary MedWatch form that can be mailed to the FDA.

You may recall that other ground cinnamon products were recalled in March 2024 as well.

Spices: A growing heavy metal threat

Some studies have found that lead contamination in spices is second only to lead contamination from paint.

Those studies have also found that the average lead content in spices was significantly higher in spices purchased abroad, from countries including Georgia, Pakistan, Nepal and Morocco than in the United States.

However, a Consumer Reports (CR) investigation found brand-name herbs and spices might contain arsenic, cadmium, and lead — three contaminants the American Heart Association links to an increase in heart disease risk.

In 2021, CR tested 126 such products from McCormick, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and other popular brands, finding almost one-third had heavy metal levels high enough to raise health concerns.

Research from 2018 also identified chili powder, cumin, coriander, anise, turmeric and vanilla as spices that could contain higher amounts of lead.

Sources:

FDA Public Health Alert for Additional Ground Cinnamon Product Due to Presence of Elevated Levels of Lead — U.S. Food & Drug Administration

Spice Recall Sparks Warning in Four States — Newsweek

A Spoonful of Lead: A 10-Year Look at Spices as a Potential Source of Lead Exposure — Journal of Public Health Management & Practice

Heartland study finds spices second only to paint for the lead poisoning of children — Food Safety News