FDA Issues Lead Poisoning Risk Alert for Ground Cinnamon Sold in NY

Following a massive WanaBana cinnamon apple sauce recall issued late last year, which caused hundreds of children to develop lead poisoning, federal health officials are warning that high levels of lead have once again been found in a ground cinnamon ingredients distributed in the United States.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert on July 25, warning consumers to stop using El Servidor ground cinnamon, after confirming that the product contains elevated levels of lead, which can cause serious health side effects, especially for children.

Distributed by El Servidor Corp of Elmhurst, New York, the contaminated ground cinnamon is part of a broader issue, as the FDA continues to identify an increasing number of cinnamon products tainted with toxic lead, which some manufacturers may be intentionally adding to increase profits.

Wanabana Apple Cinnamon Pouch Recall

Concerns about contaminated cinnamon surfaced in November 2023, when WanaBana USA issued an apple cinnamon fruit pouch recall, after determining that ground cinnamon in the fruit pouches contained elevated levels of lead. Weeks later, the recall was expanded to include Weis and Schnucks fruit pouches, which were also found to be contaminated with lead.

Since then, more than 500 lead poisoning cases have been linked to the cinnamon apple sauce products, and the FDA determined that the problems were caused by a processor in Ecuador, named Carlos Aguilera, who likely added lead to cinnamon ingredients intentionally, to make the ingredients more attractive and profitable.

Amid a rapidly growing number of lead poisoning lawsuits being filed by families of children throughout the United States, WanaBana filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in May, indicating that the company faces $26 million in debt with only about $1 million in assets.

El Servidor Cinnamon Lead Contamination Risks

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets first issued the warnings about El Servidor ground cinnamon, which was sold mainly at Mannan Supermarket Inc. in New York, after tests revealed it contained elevated lead levels of 20 ppm.

Accompanying the warning, the FDA has recommended that the distributor voluntarily recall the contaminated cinnamon and has committed to updating the safety notice should the distributor agree to proceed with the recall.

FDA officials said the El Servidor cinnamon recall was linked to a larger lead contamination alert issued March 6 for other ground cinnamon products. FDA product testing linked lead contamination to six other cinnamon products, including La Fiesta, Moran Foods, MTCI, Raja Foods, Greenbriar International, and El Chilar brands.

The safety alert warned consumers not to eat, use, or serve the contaminated El Servidor cinnamon. The product has a long shelf life, so in addition to not buying the contaminated cinnamon, the FDA advises consumers to also check their homes and throw away any affected products.

Lead Poisoning Health Effects

Lead is toxic heavy metal that can cause permanent brain damage or other severe, long-term health consequences, especially to children, who are still developing and often do not show immediate signs or symptoms of lead exposure. Even short-term lead exposure can cause symptoms like headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, and anemia. Long-term exposure can cause irritability, lethargy, fatigue, muscle aches, constipation, difficulty concentrating, tremors, and weight loss.

Prior studies have linked childhood lead exposure to changes to the brain’s structural integrity, which can result in cognitive problems and reduced IQ scores later in life. Children can experience long-term brain damage even at low levels of lead exposure.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), there is no safe lead exposure level for children. Any exposure can increase the risk of developing injuries to the nervous system and brain. It can also cause seizures, convulsions, mental retardation, delayed growth, obesity, coma, and even death.

Federal health officials warned that anyone who has been exposed to lead should contact their healthcare provider or seek medical attention. Consumers suffering from side effects of lead poisoning should report the symptoms to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting system.