Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


The state is reminding families about a cinnamon recall due to elevated levels of lead.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development are urging Michigan families to stop using some brands of cinnamon found to contain elevated levels of lead.

On March 6th, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asked six companies whose cinnamon brands were found to contain elevated levels of lead to voluntarily recall the brands. Five of the six companies have issued recalls.

The recall applies to the following brands of cinnamon and links to more information about those recalls are included:

- La Fiesta Brand Ground Cinnamon .87 oz.
- Marcum Ground Cinnamon 1.5 oz.
- MK
- SWAD Brand Cinnamon Powder in clear 3.5 oz. bags
- Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon 2.25 oz.
- El Chilar Ground Cinnamon “Canela Molida”

The FDA has identified several stores where these products might be found including Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, Save a Lot, and Patel Brothers.

The FDA says it continues to monitor the situation and provides updates about the specific recalled lots and code numbers via the provided link.

Consumers are advised to stop using the brands of cinnamon and throw them away immediately. Because the products have a long shelf life, consumers are reminded to check their homes for the affected brands and discard them.

Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian said “There is no safe level of lead in the body for any person, and lead is particularly harmful to pregnant individuals. If you are concerned about your child’s exposure to lead, please talk to your health care provider about blood lead testing.”

The source of contamination for the applesauce pouches and the source of contamination for the six brands of cinnamon that FDA issued a voluntary recall for are not connected. Following the discovery of lead and chromium in cinnamon apple puree pouches, the FDA initiated targeted surveys and analyses of ground cinnamon products from discount retail stores and identified elevated amounts of lead during testing.

MDHHS and MDARD continue to monitor incoming information from FDA.

The state says a blood lead test is the only way to know if a person has been exposed to lead. More about blood lead testing is available in the bottom link.