According to a Consumer Reports study, your favorite brand of cinnamon probably contains lead

Ground cinnamon has come under fire lately. The Food and Drug Administration recalled several products in March due to elevated lead levels. Now, a new investigation from Consumer Reports shows that there is still a lead problem in ground cinnamon – and your favorite brand could be putting your health at risk.

For the report, food safety researchers analyzed 36 products containing ground cinnamon — as well as spice blends that contain cinnamon — for lead. Researchers found that 12 of the 36 products tested had lead levels above 1 ppm, which would trigger a recall in New York — the only state that regulates heavy metals in spices. However, several other cinnamon products had lead levels that Consumer Reports says are concerning enough to limit consumption, and some of them come from big-name brands.

James E. Rogers, PhD, director and deputy director of product safety testing at Consumer Reports, says the company decided to test cinnamon's lead content after the FDA recalled both ground cinnamon and cinnamon-flavored applesauce products in recent years. “That showed us there was something wrong with cinnamon,” he says.

So which products should you avoid and why is that a concern? Here's what we know based on the results.

Which products had the most lead?

Consumer Reports set out to test both popular products from the local grocery store and ground cinnamon from specialty stores. “Most of the contaminants came from products purchased from smaller brands and in stores,” says Rogers. These include:

• Paras Cinnamon Powder (3.52 ppm)
• EGN Cinnamon Powder (2.91 ppm)
• Mimi's Products ground cinnamon (2.03 ppm)
• Bowl & Basket ground cinnamon (1.82 ppm)
• Rani brand ground cinnamon (1.39 ppm)
• Cinnamon powder from Zara Foods (1.27 ppm)
• Three Rivers Cinnamon Stick Powder (1.26 ppm)
• Yu Yee brand five-spice powder (1.25 ppm)
• BaiLiFeng Five Spice Powder (1.15 ppm)
• Spicy King Five Spice Powder (1.05 ppm)
• Badia Cinnamon Powder (1.03 ppm)
• Dark cinnamon powder (1.02 ppm)

Which brands were the safest?

Only six products were ranked as the best to use based on the results. These include:

• 365 Whole Food Market Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.02 ppm)
• Loisa Organic Cinnamon (0.04 ppm)
• Morton & Bassett San Francisco 100% Organic Ground Cinnamon (0.04 ppm)
• Sadaf Cinnamon Powder (0.04 ppm)
• 365 Whole Foods Market Ground Cinnamon (0.12 ppm)
• Sadaf Seven Spice (0.15 ppm)

It's important to note that Consumer Reports also found that some products found a middle ground that didn't make them unsafe to use, but didn't rate them as the safest either. (The organization specifically labels them as “safe for use” as long as consumption is kept to a minimum.)

These included well-known brands such as:

• McCormick ground cinnamon (0.23 ppm)
• Simple organic cinnamon (0.28 ppm)
• Bassett San Francisco ground cinnamon (0.55 ppm)
• Good & Gather ground cinnamon (0.56 ppm)
• Trader Joe’s Organic Cinnamon Powder (0.69 ppm)
• Great Value Ground Cinnamon (0.79 ppm)
• Kirkland Signature Organic Saigon Cinnamon (0.80 ppm)

How does lead get into cinnamon?

There are several ways lead can get into cinnamon. “Lead can be present in the soil where cinnamon is grown, especially in countries with heavy industrial activity or where leaded gasoline and pesticides were used in the past,” says Darin Detwiler, LPD, associate professor of food policy at Northeastern University and author of Food safety: past, present and forecasts“Plants can absorb lead from contaminated soil or water.”

Lead can also get into cinnamon during the production, drying and milling processes, says Detwiler. “Equipment or equipment contaminated with lead can introduce it into the final product,” he explains. “Inadequate quality controls can lead to this contamination going undetected.”

Some cinnamon varieties are even stored in containers or packaging that contain lead, which can lead to contamination, Rogers says. “There are a number of ways contamination can occur, but the most likely reason is probably where the cinnamon is grown and how it is irrigated,” he says.

How concerning is the lead in cinnamon?

Importantly, according to the FDA, there is no known safe level of lead exposure. Jamie Alan, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, calls the findings “worrying, especially given that ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon contains enough lead to exceed the recommended daily amount for some brands.”

The biggest concern, Alan says, is for children. “Lead disrupts neurodevelopment, and exposure in children can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD,” she says. (Alan points out that lead is still a problem in adults, but exposure in children is particularly concerning.)

“However, the amount of lead varies considerably among the brands tested,” Alan says. “You also have to consider the cumulative amount of exposure. If you eat one or even two snickerdoodles at a family gathering, you're probably fine. But if you eat two packages of cinnamon applesauce every day, that's more concerning to me.”

Nevertheless, lead accumulates in the body over time. “Even small amounts of cinnamon powder can contribute to long-term health risks if consumed regularly,” says Detwiler.

What you can do to prevent lead poisoning

Rogers says it's important not to panic about the report's findings. “But be an informed consumer,” he says. “Buy the cinnamon that our studies and others have found to have the lowest contamination.” If you're at the store and unsure of what to buy, he recommends “sticking with the big brands” because they're less likely to have higher lead levels.

It's also a good idea to use a variety of spices when possible, says Leigh A. Frame, Ph.D., associate director of the Resiliency & Well-being Center at George Washington University. “It's wise to keep your diet varied to avoid repeated exposure to potentially contaminated sources of a particular food, including spices like cinnamon,” she says.

However, Alan believes it's important to put the results in perspective. “While this may raise health concerns, the average person probably doesn't consume enough cinnamon to have a lasting effect,” she says. “However, if your child regularly eats something with cinnamon in it, it's worth checking the source and asking your doctor if they can run tests for lead exposure and toxicity.”