FDA Alert Concerning Cinnamon: Check your spice rack for lead-tainted brands

The FDA has issued an official alert concerning certain cinnamon products due to the presence of elevated levels of lead.

They have chosen to warn all consumers and all retailers that through product testing, they have determined that certain ground cinnamon products — the complete list is below — contain elevated levels of lead and that prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe.

Regarding the purpose of the alert and the scope of the problem, the FDA Alert circulated March 6, 2024 states:

The FDA is advising consumers to throw away and not to buy the ground cinnamon products listed because samples of these products were found to contain elevated levels of lead. Based on FDA’s assessment, prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe and could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood. Long-term exposure (months to years) to elevated levels of lead in the diet could contribute to adverse health effects, particularly for the portion of the population that may already have elevated blood lead levels from other exposures to lead. No illnesses or adverse events have been reported to date in association with these products.  

You can access the FDA’s full statement here.

What to look for

The affected product brands include:

La Fiesta (Retailers: La Superior, SuperMercados), Lot/Code: 25033.

Marcum (Retailer: Save A lot), Lot/Code: 10/16/25 10DB and 04/06/25 0400B1.

MK (Retailer: SF Supermarket), no codes.

Swad (Retailer: Patel Brothers), Lot/Code: KX21223.

Supreme Tradition (Retailer: Dollar Tree, Family Dollar), Lot/Codes: 09/29/25 09E8; 04/17/25  04E11; 12/19/25 12C2; 04/12/25 04ECB12; 08/24/25 08A_ _; 04/21/25 04E5; 04/21/25 04E5; 2025-09-22 09E20 (Missouri).

El Chillar (Retailer: La Joya Morelense, Baltimore, MD), Lot/Codes: F275EX1026 and D300EX1024.

What they advise

The FDA is advising consumers to throw away and not to buy the ground cinnamon products listed above.  The FDA has recommended that the firms voluntarily recall these products, with the exception of the MTCI cinnamon. The FDA has been unable to reach MTCI to share these findings and request that the company initiate a recall. The FDA states they will update this notice with the communications from firms that voluntarily agree to recall as they receive them.

The FDA recommendations for consumers:

• The FDA is advising consumers to stop using and dispose of these products. 
• Consumers should not eat, sell, or serve ground cinnamon products listed in the table above and should discard them.  
• These products have a long shelf life. Consumers should check their homes and discard these products.  
• 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. 

They also encourage healthcare professionals, patients and consumers to report complaints of exposure and adverse events to the FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.

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 FDA.