Lead-Free Cinnamon: Our Per-Batch Lab Results
There is no such thing as a cinnamon brand that is "guaranteed lead-free." Lead contamination happens batch by batch — in the soil, in third-party grinding facilities, or (in the worst cases the FDA found) through added lead-chromate colorant. The only honest answer to "which cinnamon has no lead?" is: the batch whose lab report you can actually read. Below are ours — every batch, every result, linked to the full certificate.
Our current batch results: lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury & coumarin
Every batch we export is tested in an accredited lab before it leaves Sri Lanka — four tests: species identification (true Cinnamomum verum), heavy metals, coumarin, and microbial safety. These are the actual measured values for the batches on sale right now:
| Batch | Product & grade | Lead (ppm) | Arsenic (ppm) | Cadmium (ppm) | Mercury (ppm) | Coumarin | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CSG-2026-02 packed 12 Feb 2026 |
Ceylon cinnamon quills (sticks) | 0.2 | ND | 0.05 | ND | — | View COA (PDF) · ITI SS 2602607 |
ND = not detected at the lab's limit of determination (0.05 mg/kg). All values in mg/kg (= ppm). Tested by the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), Sri Lanka's national testing laboratory, using microwave digestion / ICP-MS (inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry); samples tested 17–23 Feb 2026. Measured coumarin values will be published here from the next tested batch onward.
How this batch compares
Ground cinnamon products in the FDA's 2024–2025 alerts measured roughly 2 to 7.7 ppm; the adulterated cinnamon in the 2023 applesauce recalls measured in the thousands of ppm — far beyond this scale.
Our quills measured 0.2 ppm lead — here's why we publish that instead of claiming "zero"
Trace lead exists in virtually every agricultural product on earth, because it exists in soil. A brand telling you its cinnamon has "no lead" either never tested it or is quietly rounding a real measurement down to a marketing word. We do the opposite: we publish the measured number and the benchmarks, and let you judge. For this batch, 0.2 ppm is five times below New York State's 1 ppm action level — the strictest enforced lead-in-spices benchmark in the US — and roughly a tenth of the lowest levels found in the ground cinnamon products flagged by the FDA in 2024–2025.
The FDA lead-in-cinnamon alerts: what actually happened
If you're researching lead in cinnamon, it's probably because of this sequence of events — all documented on the FDA's own investigation pages:
-
Oct–Nov 2023
Cinnamon applesauce pouches (WanaBana and related brands) were recalled after children in multiple states showed elevated blood lead levels. The FDA found the cinnamon used contained extremely high lead and chromium levels, consistent with lead-chromate adulteration. -
March 2024
The FDA issued a public health alert naming six ground cinnamon products sold in US discount stores with elevated lead levels, and recommended recalls. -
Through 2024–2025
The alert list was expanded repeatedly as the FDA's targeted survey of ground cinnamon continued — flagged products measured roughly 2 to 7.7 ppm of lead — and by late 2025 the list had grown to 18 flagged brands, with national coverage from CBS, AARP and others.
Two details in the FDA's findings matter for anyone choosing cinnamon:
- Every flagged product was ground cinnamon. Powder is where contamination hides — whether from grinding equipment, cross-contamination, or deliberate adulteration. Whole quills are visually identifiable and far harder to adulterate.
- A brand name on the jar tells you nothing about the batch inside it. Most flagged products were packed by importers who never tested the lots they bought. The failure wasn't one bad country or one bad brand — it was untested supply chains.
Why our cinnamon tests clean — and why we still test every batch
- We sell true Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) from Sri Lanka, farm-direct. Our bark goes from peeler to our own facility — there is no third-party grinder or broker between the farm and the lab test.
- Our powder is ground from the same whole quills we sell. If you buy our ground cinnamon, the COA for its batch covers the actual quills it was ground from.
- We don't ask you to trust the origin story — that's the point of this page. Sri Lankan origin lowers the risk; the lab report is the proof. Coumarin works the same way: it varies batch to batch (it's driven by the tree and harvest, not the grade on the label), which is why we publish a measured coumarin value per batch instead of quoting industry averages.
New to reading lab reports? Here's our plain-English guide: How to Read a Ceylon Cinnamon Lab Test / COA.
Frequently asked questions
Which cinnamon has no lead?
No cinnamon is inherently lead-free — contamination is batch-specific. The only way to know a specific jar is safe is a per-batch certificate of analysis (COA) showing lead below detection limits. Any brand, from any country, that doesn't show you batch-level results is asking you to take it on faith.
Does Ceylon cinnamon have less lead than cassia?
Origin alone doesn't guarantee anything, but the FDA's flagged products were ground cassia routed through untested import supply chains. Farm-direct Ceylon cinnamon with published per-batch testing removes both risk factors: the opaque supply chain and the absence of testing.
Are cinnamon sticks safer than ground cinnamon?
Generally yes. Whole quills are identifiable and hard to adulterate; every product in the FDA's 2024–2025 alerts was ground cinnamon. The safest option is whole quills — or powder ground from tested quills with the batch COA published.
What is a safe level of lead in cinnamon?
The FDA has not set a binding limit for lead in spices; New York State applies a 1 ppm action level, the strictest US benchmark. Our current quills batch measured 0.2 ppm — five times below that level — and we publish every batch's measured value above, so you never have to take "safe" on faith.
How do I check my current jar of cinnamon?
Check the FDA's public health alert list for the brand, then ask the seller for the batch COA. If they can't produce one, assume it was never tested. Every bag we ship carries its batch number — look it up in the table above or on our lab testing & COA page.
Cinnamon with the receipts
Our Alba-grade Ceylon cinnamon is the finest quill grade Sri Lanka produces — and like every product we sell, it ships with its batch's lab report.
Shop Alba-Grade Ceylon Cinnamon