Lead in Your Latte? FDA Expands Ground Cinnamon Warning Just as Pumpkin Spice Season Heats Up
As Americans sip their pumpkin spice lattes and bake up batches of apple-cinnamon pies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging caution when it comes to one key fall ingredient: ground cinnamon.
The agency today expanded its public health alert to include several additional brands—Durra and Wise Wife among them—after finding elevated levels of lead in product samples collected from retail stores. These latest additions join more than a dozen brands flagged since the FDA began its investigation in 2024.
Officials warn that long-term exposure to lead, even in small amounts, can be unsafe—particularly for young children and pregnant women. While no illnesses have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers to check their spice racks and throw away any recalled cinnamon products.
The newly listed brands were sold in stores across the U.S., including Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, and California. Other affected brands from earlier recalls include Jiva Organics, Super Brand, Asli, Marcum, and Supreme Tradition, among others. Lead concentrations in the tested products ranged from 2.03 to 7.68 parts per million, well above safe limits.
This alert comes nearly a year after the high-profile WanaBana cinnamon applesauce recall, which involved lead levels thousands of times higher than what’s been found in these ground spice samples. Still, the FDA says it’s taking every precaution to prevent contaminated cinnamon from ending up in kitchens—especially as the ingredient appears in so many seasonal staples, from pumpkin pies to spiced cider.
“Cinnamon is used in foods frequently young children frequently consume,” the agency noted, emphasizing that its efforts align with its Closer to Zero initiative, aimed at reducing childhood exposure to heavy metals in food.
The FDA continues to work with state partners to test cinnamon on store shelves and has urged importers and manufacturers to voluntarily test their products for contaminants.
So before you sprinkle that extra dash of cinnamon into your latte or holiday cookies, take a quick look at the label. A cozy fall treat isn’t worth a toxic twist.
Consumers can view the full list of recalled brands and safety recommendations on the FDA’s official website.
