GREAT FALLS — The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is advising people to throw away and not purchase specific ground cinnamon products because samples of these products were found to contain levels of lead that may be unsafe.
One of these products, Supreme Tradition ground cinnamon, has been distributed at Family Dollar and Dollar Tree stores in Montana, according to the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services (DPHHS).
These stores operate in the following counties: Beaverhead, Big Horn, Broadwater, Carbon, Cascade, Custer, Dawson, Deer Lodge, Fallon, Fergus, Flathead, Gallatin, Glacier, Hill, Jefferson, Lake, Lewis & Clark, Lincoln, Madison, McCone, Musselshell, Missoula, Ravalli, Richland, Roosevelt, Sanders, Silver Bow, Stillwater, Sweet Grass, Teton, Toole, and Yellowstone.
The FDA initiated a targeted survey of ground cinnamon products from discount retail stores and analyzed the samples for lead and chromium following the October 2023 recall of cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products due to elevated lead levels linked to the cinnamon in those products and the concern for lead toxicity in children. Based on FDA’s assessment, consuming these products could contribute to harmful levels of lead in the blood.
The FDA noted that these products have a long shelf life, and that people should check their homes and discard these products.
MT DPHHS said in a news release on Monday, March 11, 2024, that exposure to lead in the diet could contribute to adverse health effects, particularly for the portion of the population that may already have exposure to lead from other sources. Most people have no obvious immediate symptoms of lead exposure.
Children are more vulnerable to the health effects of heavy metal exposure than adults because they are still developing, making it especially important to avoid exposure.
“If you are concerned that you or anyone in your family may have been exposed to lead, the FDA recommends you contact your healthcare provider who may recommend testing your blood for lead,” said Dr. Maggie Cook-Shimanek, Public Health Physician for DPHHS.
There is no safe level of lead exposure, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses a marker of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter to identify children with blood lead levels higher than most.
Click here for more information on the FDA website.
