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FDA Alert Concerning Certain Cinnamon Products Due to Presence of Elevated Levels of Lead

March 6, 2024:  Through product testing, the FDA has determined that certain lots of the ground cinnamon products shown below contain elevated levels of lead. The FDA is advising consumers to throw away and not to buy the identified ground cinnamon products. Based on the FDA’s assessment, prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe and could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood.

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 linked table 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. 

While the ground cinnamon products in this alert may not be a food targeted to young children, cinnamon is used in many foods young children consume. 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. 

Who to Contact

Health care professionals, patients and consumers are encouraged to report complaints and cases 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.