ALB Flavor brand cinnamon powder is being voluntarily recalled because it may be contaminated with elevated levels of lead, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
The cinnamon product, distributed by ALB-USA Enterprises of the Bronx, New York, was sent to retailers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan and New York. The cinnamon is branded under the ALB Flavor name and is packaged in a plastic bag with a net weight of 100 grams. It features a brown carton packaging with an image of cinnamon powder and two cinnamon sticks centered at the bottom, the FDA said. Consumers are urged to stop using it and return to the store for a refund.
The recall, which was issued Friday, follows a separate alert from the FDA last week about an additional cinnamon product sold in the U.S. that has been contaminated with lead.
That alert involved ground cinnamon, sold as El Servidor and distributed by an Elmhurst, New York, company of the same name.
On Monday, two companies recalled their cinnamon powder because of potential lead contamination after an analysis by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Advance Food International's Shahzada brand and American Spices Spice Class ground cinnamon were distributed to retailers in the New York City area.
The new cases join a growing list of cinnamon products identified by the FDA to contain high levels of lead.
Through testing, the El Servidor cinnamon was found to have elevated lead levels at 20 parts per million.
While the FDA does not have limits for lead levels in spices, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has a proposed international safety standard of 2.5 parts per million of lead for bark spices like cinnamon.
The FDA asked the distributor to voluntarily recall the product. The agency advised consumers to stop using the product and throw it away.
In March, the FDA warned about lead in cinnamon sold at Dollar Tree and Family Dollar and other stores. Those products had levels of lead ranging from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million.
One sample of cinnamon used in the previously recalled WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit puree was found to have 5,110 parts per million of lead.
The cinnamon identified in the El Servidor alert was sold at a supermarket in New York City, although it's unclear whether it was distributed more widely. The FDA didn't respond to a request for comment.
Leigh Frame, director of integrative medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, called lead contamination "alarming."
"We sort of assume things are safe until proven otherwise," Frame said. "It’s not until people get sick do we actually have these recalls. Often it’s too late; people have already consumed the products."
In a perfect world, she added, the FDA would be able to get ahead of recalls by testing food products for dangerous contaminants before people get exposed.
"It's a little scary to think about all the things that potentially could be lurking in our food system because we don't have the resources," Frame said.
While its unclear why exactly lead is turning up in cinnamon products, as part of the applesauce investigation the FDA suggested that it’s financially motivated. Lead chromate is orange-yellow and can give spices an enhanced color and increase their weight.
No illnesses have been reported with El Servidor or ALB Flavor cinnamon products.
Lead is toxic, especially for children
Elevated levels of lead can be extremely toxic to the body, particularly for young children, who are more at risk because of their smaller body size and the fact that they are still growing. High levels of lead exposure in this age group can cause long-term neurologic and developmental problems such as learning disabilities and lowered IQ.
Frame doesn't think consumers should completely cut out cinnamon, but recommends limiting exposure, particularly for young kids.
“If you have cinnamon oatmeal every morning, maybe switch to a different variety for a while until we figure things out, just to reduce the exposure,” she said.
Symptoms of lead exposure may include:
- Headache
- Abdominal pain
- Fatigue
