Lansing, MI - The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) are urging Michigan families to stop using some brands of cinnamon found to contain elevated levels of lead.
On March 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked six companies whose cinnamon brands were found to contain elevated levels of lead to voluntarily recall the brands. Five of the six companies have issued recalls. This recall applies to the following brands of cinnamon and links to more information about those recalls are included:
- La Fiesta Brand Ground Cinnamon .87 oz, Recall Information.
- Marcum Ground Cinnamon 1.5 oz, Recall Information.
- MK.
- SWAD Brand Cinnamon Powder in clear 3.5 oz bags, Recall Information.
- Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon 2.25 oz, Recall Information.
- El Chilar Ground Cinnamon “Canela Molida,” Recall Information.
FDA continues to monitor this situation and provides updates about the specific recalled lots and code numbers at bit.ly/FDA-Cinnamon-Alert.
FDA has identified several stores where these products might be found, including:
- Dollar Tree.
- Family Dollar.
- Save a Lot.
- Patel Brothers.
Consumers are advised to stop using these brands of cinnamon and throw them away immediately. Because these products have a long shelf life, MDHHS reminds consumers to check their homes for the affected brands and discard them.
“There is no safe level of lead in the body for any person, and lead is particularly harmful to pregnant individuals,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. “If you are concerned about your child’s exposure to lead, please talk to your health care provider about blood lead testing.”
The source of contamination for the applesauce pouches and the source of contamination for the six brands of cinnamon that FDA issued a voluntary recall for are not connected. Following the discovery of lead and chromium in cinnamon apple puree pouches, FDA initiated targeted surveys and analyses of ground cinnamon products from discount retail stores and identified elevated amounts of lead during testing.
MDHHS and MDARD continue to monitor incoming information from FDA. Consumers and health care providers can monitor updates about this recall at bit.ly/FDA-Cinnamon-Alert.
A blood lead test is the only way to know if a person has been exposed to lead. To learn more about blood lead testing, or for information visit the MI Lead Safe webpage. For information for health care providers and when to test, visit this webpage.