Cinnamon is a popular autumn addition to hot beverages and comfort-food desserts, but a new report from Consumer Reports warns that some cinnamon and spice is not everything nice. Prompted by reports last year that high lead levels in applesauce pouches were tied back to an Ecuadorian cinnamon grinder, the nonprofit tested for lead in 36 different ground-cinnamon products and spice blends procured from 17 stores online and in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. The results were "troubling," per CR: One-third of their tested items registered more than 1 part per million of lead—"the threshold that triggers a recall in New York, the only state in the US that regulates heavy metals in spices." Paras cinnamon powder was the worst offender on the "Don't Use" list, with a 3.52ppm reading. For contrast, the reading for cinnamon powder from McCormick, one of the most popular spice brands, was 0.23ppm, which landed that product on the "OK to Use" list. But even brands that don't claim outwardly dangerous lead levels can pose an issue down the line.
Link: https://www.newser.com/