FDA Expands Cinnamon Recall After Elevated Levels of Lead Detected in Product

The FDA said it is including another product, Jiva Organic ground cinnamon, after obtaining samples.

Published: 9/19/2025, 3:50:55 PM EDT

FDA Expands Cinnamon Recall After Elevated Levels of Lead Detected in Product — Some of the ground cinnamon products added to FDA's public health alert. (FDA)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has added another cinnamon product to its public heath alert because it may contain elevated levels of lead.

The FDA said that it is including another product, Jiva Organic ground cinnamon, because the federal health agency found higher levels of lead in a sample.

“The samples were collected at a retail establishment by the FDA. Exposure to this product may be unsafe. Please view the table and recommendations below for more details,” the agency said in an update on Sept. 12.

The recalled Jiva Organic ground cinnamon was sold at Taj Supermarket and was distributed through Spicy World of USA. Its lot code is AF-CINP/822, with a best-before date of July 2025.

As of last week’s update, no reports of illnesses or adverse events have been reported in connection to the product or other products that were listed by the FDA since last year.

It’s the first time since late last year that the FDA has released an alert on a product with elevated levels of lead. It’s also the 12th ground cinnamon product to be recalled since an initial public health alert was issued in July 2024.

The other products, according to the FDA list, have included: La Frontera, Asli, El Chilar, Marcum, SWAD, Supreme Tradition, Super Brand, Compania Indiilor Orientale, ALB Flavor, Shahzada, and Spice Class sold in various places across the United States.

In 2023, the FDA issued recall notices and alerts on WanaBana cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products due to high levels of lead. Notably, the cinnamon under recall have “significantly lower levels” of the heavy metal than the WanaBanana products, said the FDA.

The WanaBanana products had “between 2,270 ppm (parts-per-million) to 5,110 ppm lead in the cinnamon, the agency said. Meanwhile, the recalled cinnamon has “elevated lead levels ranging from 2.03 to 7.68 parts per million.”

The recalled Jiva Organic ground cinnamon, the FDA notice said, was found to have 2.29 PPM.

Lead poisoning can have significant, lifelong impacts, especially for infants and younger children, because they can absorb significantly more lead than adults, according to health authorities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website that high levels of lead can cause neurological issues such as a lower IQ, difficulty learning, and more trouble paying attention. Young children can also suffer brain and nervous system damage, slowed growth, and hearing or speech problems due to lead exposure, the agency also says.

According to the Mayo Clinic, lead poisoning can also occur because of a long-term buildup of the heavy metal inside the body after repeated exposure. In the short term, high levels of lead exposure can be deadly, it says.

Among adults, lead poisoning symptoms include joint and muscle pain, high blood pressure, abdominal pain, mood disorders, miscarriage or stillbirth, and difficulties with concentration or memory, the Mayo Clinic says.

From The Epoch Times