Yes, there are recalls for some ground cinnamon products due to lead concerns

Cinnamon is a popular spice that most people have on hand in their pantries. 

A viral TikTok video shared over 30,000 times claims some cinnamon products have been recalled because they are contaminated with lead. Google searches for a “ground cinnamon recall” have also been on the rise in recent days. 

THE QUESTION

Are there recalls for some ground cinnamon products due to lead concerns?

THE SOURCES

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Recall announcements from three companies 

THE ANSWER

Yes, there are recalls for some ground cinnamon products due to lead concerns.

WHAT WE FOUND

The FDA is advising people to throw away six brands of ground cinnamon products sold at various retailers, including Family Dollar, Dollar Tree and Save A Lot, due to “elevated levels of lead.” It also urged suppliers to voluntarily recall the products.

The products are sold under the brand names La Fiesta, Marcum, MK, Swad, Supreme Tradition and El Chilar. 

“Based on FDA’s assessment, prolonged exposure to these products may be unsafe and could contribute to elevated levels of lead in the blood,” the federal agency said in its alert. 

At least three companies have announced recalls of their cinnamon products.

Colonna Brothers, Inc. said on its website that it is recalling these Marcum and Supreme Tradition products with the following best by dates and lot codes:

• 1.5-ounce Marcum ground cinnamon, 10/16/25 10DB
• 1.5-ounce Marcum ground cinnamon, 4/6/2025 0400B1
• 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition ground cinnamon, 9/29/25 09E8 
• 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition ground cinnamon, 4/17/25  04E11
• 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition ground cinnamon, 12/19/25 12C2
• 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition ground cinnamon, 4/12/25 04ECB12
• 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition ground cinnamon, 8/24/25 08A
• 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition ground cinnamon, 4/21/25 04E5 
• 2.25-ounce Supreme Tradition ground cinnamon, 9/22/2025 09E20

The FDA also published company recall announcements from Raja Foods LLC and El Chilar Rodriguez LLC on its website.

Raja Foods is recalling its 3.5-ounce package of Swad cinnamon powder distributed to grocery stores in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast regions of the country, according to the announcement.

The recalled products are from either of the following two batches and best before dates: 

• Batch KX21223, best before July 2026
• Batch KX08123, best before March 2026

El Chilar Rodriguez is recalling 127 cases of El Chilar Ground Cinnamon “Canela Molida” sold in 1.25-ounce bags. The product was distributed at retail stores throughout the state of Maryland, and can be identified by the lot codes D300 EX1024 and F272 EX1026.

Anyone who purchased these recalled products can return them for a full refund, the companies say.

The FDA is also urging people to throw away the following cinnamon products that do not appear to have been voluntarily recalled yet:

• La Fiesta with lot code 25033
• MK, no lot codes were provided

The most recent FDA warning comes after nationwide recalls of cinnamon-flavored applesauce products that were contaminated with lead.

Those recalls led the FDA to initiate a targeted survey of ground cinnamon products from discount retail stores, the agency said. Its investigation found that the six ground cinnamon products had lead concentrations ranging from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million (ppm), which is “significantly lower” than the levels of lead found in the applesauce products. 

The FDA said “no illnesses or adverse events have been reported in association” with the ground cinnamon products included in its recommended recall.

Health officials say there is no safe level of lead exposure. According to the FDA, “high levels of exposure to lead in utero, infancy and early childhood can lead to neurological effects such as learning disabilities, behavior difficulties and lowered IQ.”

Lead has also been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems and kidney damage in adults, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.