FDA Releases Cinnamon Contamination Alert

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FDA Takes Steps to Ensure Safety of Cinnamon Products Sold in the US

by: Food and Drug Law at Keller and Heckman of Keller and Heckman LLP - The Daily Intake

Friday, March 8, 2024

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On March 6, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a letter to all cinnamon manufacturers, processors, distributors, and facility operators in the US, reminding them of the requirement to implement controls to prevent contamination from potential chemical hazards in food, including ground cinnamon products. The Agency also recommended the voluntary recall of certain ground cinnamon products sold by a number of brands at six different retail chains that were found to contain levels of lead.
This letter follows the recent incidents associated with certain cinnamon apple sauce pouches that resulted in lead poisoning in young children. As we have previously blogged, FDA’s investigation into the contaminated apple sauce pouches traced the contamination back to a manufacturer and cinnamon supplier in Ecuador.
FDA notified the distributors and manufacturers of products found to contain elevated levels of lead and recommended that the manufacturers voluntarily recall these products because prolonged exposure to them may be unsafe. The products were identified during an FDA-initiated sampling and testing effort to assess cinnamon sold across numerous retail stores. No illnesses or adverse events have been reported to date related to the ground cinnamon products listed in this news release, but the FDA is concerned that, because of the elevated lead levels in these products, continued and prolonged use of the products may be unsafe.
Since the issuance of the letter, recipient companies El Chilar and Raja Foods, as well as Stonewall Kitchen and Colonna, have issued voluntary recalls for some of their cinnamon products.
FDA continues to work with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as state and local partners, to investigate elevated lead and chromium levels in individuals with reported exposure to apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches.