20,000 Pounds of Cinnamon from Vietnam Contain High Lead
Spices USA Inc., located in Hialeah, FL, is recalling its Tasty-Sawa cinnamon due to higher levels of lead. As reported by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) online, the recall started on March 12, 2024, and remains active.
The contaminated products were distributed in various locations, including Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina in the United States, as well as in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.
- Details of the recalled product are as follows:
- Tasty-Sawa Cinnamon Ground, Net Wt. 55.11 lbs, packaged in paper bags (bulk)
- Originating from Vietnam
- Quantity: 394 bags/ 21,713.34 lbs
- Lot No: VN/OFD/1D/0623
Consumers are advised not to use this product. Instead, they should dispose of the recalled items or return them to the store where they were purchased.
From The Club
For a spice like cinnamon to have high levels of lead, that’s scary to think about. I always envision a hygenic environment that captures the cinnamon and bottles it correctly; and for a large company like Spices USA, they should have quality control in place. But the issue is that they must not have anyone in Vietnam doing proper testing because 20,000 lbs of cinnamon is a lot.
Why is Lead Found in Cinnamon?
I’ve done some research and found that it could be from the following (I don’t know why it’s recalled, I’m just point out some reasons this could happen):
- Environmental Contamination: Lead can be present in the soil where cinnamon trees are grown. This can be due to past use of leaded gasoline, industrial emissions, or the use of pesticides and fertilizers that contain heavy metals. When the cinnamon trees absorb water and nutrients from the soil, they can also absorb lead, which then accumulates in the bark used to produce cinnamon.
- Contamination During Processing: The processing stages of cinnamon, from harvesting to grinding, can introduce lead if equipment or facilities are contaminated. This could be from machinery lubricants, solders, or paints that contain lead. Old machinery and equipment, particularly in less regulated environments, might be more prone to this type of contamination.
- Cross-contamination: Cinnamon could become contaminated during storage or transportation if it comes into contact with other products or materials that contain lead. This includes storage in containers that have previously held lead-containing substances or are constructed from materials that leach lead.
- Intentional Weight Change: While less common, there have been instances where spices are adulterated with cheaper, heavier substances to increase their weight for sale. This could potentially include materials that contain lead, though this is illegal and unethical.