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The FDA added Wise Wife ground cinnamon to its list of products with elevated lead levels, bringing the list to 21. The product was recalled after Connecticut testing found 2.118 parts per million of lead; it was distributed to stores in 14 states from September 2025 through June 2026.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has added Wise Wife brand ground cinnamon to its public health alert for cinnamon products with elevated lead levels, bringing the list to 21 products. Connecticut state testing found 2.118 parts per million of lead in a sample, and SLR Food Distribution Inc. has recalled the product.
The recalled cinnamon is identified by UPC 0688474302754 and a best-before date of April 25, 2027. It was sold in a clear plastic container weighing 110 grams, or 3.88 ounces, with a black screw-top cap. SLR Food Distribution, based in Hicksville, New York, distributed it to retail and grocery stores in 14 states between September 8, 2025, and June 28, 2026.
The states named in the recall information are Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin. Consumers can compare the product details with the container they have at home. The source report identifies the firm as having recalled the product; it does not provide further instructions about returns or refunds.
The FDA alert lists lead concentrations in the affected cinnamon products ranging from 2.03 to 7.68 parts per million. The Wise Wife sample was collected and analyzed by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s Department of Analytical Chemistry. The FDA says the list may be updated as it reviews further results from state partners sampling ground cinnamon at retail.
Why Lead in Cinnamon Matters
The FDA says eating the listed products could contribute to elevated blood lead levels. It warns that long-term exposure through food, over months or years, can contribute to adverse health effects, particularly for people who already have lead exposure from other sources. The risk depends on the lead concentration in food, how much and how often a person consumes it, how long exposure continues, and the consumer’s age and other exposures.
Babies and young children are especially vulnerable, according to the FDA, because of their smaller body size and rapid growth and development. The agency says high lead exposure before birth, during infancy or in early childhood can cause neurological effects, including learning and behavior difficulties and lower IQ. The alert is a reason for consumers to check the specific product identifiers, rather than treating every cinnamon product as affected.
The levels in the cinnamon alert are far below those reported in the WanaBana cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products recalled in 2023. The source report says those products contained 2,270 to 5,110 parts per million of lead in the cinnamon. That comparison provides scale but does not change the FDA’s warning that repeated dietary exposure to lead can pose a health concern.
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How State Testing Expanded the Alert
The FDA says this is the third public health alert for ground cinnamon this year. The agency’s alert says the additional notice is intended to help protect consumers, including young children, who may eat foods containing ground cinnamon. The update follows earlier federal and state work to test cinnamon and other spices for lead and chromium.
According to the source report, after the 2023 recall of WanaBana apple puree and applesauce products containing elevated lead and chromium, the FDA asked states to prioritize testing of ground cinnamon and other spices. State partners have since supplied sample data, including through the Laboratory Flexible Funding Model, a cooperative program intended to support food investigations, monitoring and removal of adulterated products from commerce.
States named in the FDA’s sampling effort include Arkansas, California, Maryland, Missouri, Connecticut and Virginia. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets also collected samples outside that program. The agency says it is continuing to review results as state partners test ground cinnamon sold at retail.
What Testing and Exposure Data Show
The available report does not state how many Wise Wife containers were sold, how many consumers may have purchased them, or whether any illnesses or elevated blood lead cases have been linked to this particular product. It also does not give the FDA’s detailed method for estimating risk from eating the affected cinnamon. The reported 2.118 ppm is the result for the tested sample, not a measure of an individual consumer’s exposure.
The FDA says it is still reviewing sample results from state partners and may revise the alert if it identifies additional products with elevated lead and finds that exposure could be unsafe. The full scope of products that may be affected by future testing is not yet known. The reported distribution states and dates describe the Wise Wife product named in this recall, not necessarily every product on the FDA’s alert.
FDA Review and Recall Guidance
The FDA says it will continue reviewing test results from state partners and update its public health alert if further findings warrant action. Consumers can check the brand, UPC, package size and best-before date against the recall details and the agency’s current list. The source report does not specify a return or refund process, so consumers seeking those details should consult SLR Food Distribution’s recall announcement or the retailer.
People who are concerned about possible lead exposure, particularly caregivers of young children, can contact a health care professional for advice. The FDA’s alert describes potential risks from exposure but does not establish that an individual who consumed the product has been harmed.
Key Questions
Which cinnamon product was added to the FDA alert?
The newly listed product is Wise Wife brand ground cinnamon from SLR Food Distribution Inc. The recalled container has UPC 0688474302754 and a best-before date of April 25, 2027.
How much lead did testing find in the Wise Wife sample?
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station’s Department of Analytical Chemistry found 2.118 parts per million of lead in the sample. That result applies to the tested sample; it does not show how much lead any particular person consumed.
Where and when was the recalled cinnamon distributed?
The product was distributed to retail and grocery stores in 14 states from September 8, 2025, through June 28, 2026. The states named are Connecticut, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Why does the FDA warn about lead in food?
The FDA says consuming affected products could contribute to elevated blood lead levels. Long-term exposure may contribute to adverse health effects, and babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to lead’s potential effects on neurological development.
Will the FDA add more cinnamon products to the list?
The agency says it is reviewing additional state testing results and will update the alert if it finds other products with elevated lead levels that may make exposure unsafe. Whether more products will be added is not yet known.
Source: foodsafetynews.com
