Cinnamon Recall 2026: Lior Lead Recall and What Testing Shows

Cinnamon has drawn more scrutiny than most spices in recent years, between independent lab testing and a series of FDA alerts and recalls involving ground cinnamon. If you cook with it daily, it is reasonable to want to know what was actually found, without either dismissing it or panicking about it.

Last reviewed: October 2026. Recall details change. Check FDA's recalls page for the latest notices before relying on anything here.⁶

Cinnamon recall list: the Lior recall (September 2026)

This is what FDA's posting of the company announcement says. FDA posts recall announcements as a public service and does not endorse either the product or the company.⁵

This table covers the one recall we have verified directly on FDA's site. It is not a complete history of cinnamon recalls. FDA keeps the current list on its Recalls, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts page.⁶

We have no relationship with Galil Importing Corp or the Lior brand, and nothing here is a statement about them beyond what the announcement says. What the recall shows is how lot-specific this risk is: one lot, one product, one set of states. It is also why we point people to recall notices and batch-specific lab reports rather than brand reputation. A recall can happen to any company whose supply includes an affected lot.

What the testing found

Consumer Reports tested 36 ground cinnamon products and spice blends containing cinnamon, bought from 17 stores across Connecticut, New Jersey and New York plus online. Twelve of the 36, a third, measured above 1 part per million of lead. That is New York State's recall threshold, and New York is the only US state that regulates heavy metals in spices.¹

The spread between products was large. For the twelve highest, CR said that even a quarter teaspoon carries more lead than a person should consume in a day. For the lowest, the amount ran to nearly 16 teaspoons daily.¹ Same spice, same shelf, very different results, which tells you the variable is not "cinnamon" but the specific product and lot.

Why cinnamon specifically?

Cinnamon is tree bark. CR's reporting notes that the roughly ten years the trees need to grow before the bark can be harvested give the plant a long time to absorb any lead in the soil, and that lead in the bark can become concentrated in the finished product during drying.¹ The FDA notes that lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury occur naturally in the environment and are often present at higher levels where past industrial activity or pollution left them behind.² CR's food safety director also notes that lead could enter from processing equipment, storage containers or packaging.¹

Lead is not the Ceylon-vs-Cassia question

This is worth being precise about, because the two get conflated constantly, including by some people who sell Ceylon cinnamon.

Ceylon vs Cassia is a question of species, and the compound at issue is coumarin: Cassia is naturally much higher in it, Ceylon naturally very low. We cover that in What Is Coumarin in Cinnamon? and Ceylon vs. Cassia Cinnamon.

Lead is a question of soil and supply chain, not of species. CR's cinnamon tests included product from many of the areas that grow it and found high and low lead levels from each location.¹ Choosing Ceylon addresses the coumarin question. It does not, by itself, tell you anything about the lead content of the jar in your hand. Only a test of that batch does.

We sell Ceylon cinnamon and we think the coumarin difference matters. We are not going to stretch that into a claim it does not support.

What you can actually do

• Look for a batch-specific lab report from any brand: a Certificate of Analysis tied to the lot number on your package, not a generic product claim. Our guide to reading a COA covers what to look for.
• Remember that certifications do not cover this. CR said it does not have enough data to say organic cinnamon is lower in lead, and noted that USDA organic standards do not include heavy metal testing.¹ Its broader 126-product herb and spice survey found no consistent advantage for organic products either.³ (That survey did not include cinnamon.)
• Keep an eye on FDA recall notices if you buy ground cinnamon regularly. FDA posts company recall announcements as they are made.⁵
• Ask the brand directly what they test and when. For RamanRasa: we have not published a lead result or Certificate of Analysis for our own product. Independent per-batch third-party testing is planned for every batch, with results published once each batch is in our Houston facility.

FAQ

Is Ceylon cinnamon affected by the Lior cinnamon recall?

RamanRasa's Ceylon Cinnamon Powder is not part of the Galil/Lior recall. That recall covers one lot (GAP11304) of one brand's ground cinnamon, and we have no relationship with the company or the brand.⁵ More broadly, lead depends on soil and supply chain rather than species, so no recall tells you anything about other brands in either direction. Independent per-batch third-party testing is planned for every RamanRasa batch, with results published once each batch is in our Houston facility.

Is all cinnamon contaminated with lead?

No. In CR's testing, two-thirds of the 36 products fell below New York's 1 ppm threshold.¹ The variation between individual products was the main finding, not a blanket result for all cinnamon.

Does buying Ceylon cinnamon protect me from lead?

Not inherently. Ceylon's difference is its naturally low coumarin content, which is a different compound and a different issue. Lead depends on the soil the tree grew in and the integrity of the supply chain, and CR found high and low lead levels in products from each growing region it tested.¹

Can I wash or heat lead out of cinnamon?

No. CR reports there is no way to remove lead from cinnamon, or from any spice, once it is present.¹

How much cinnamon does CR say is okay?

It depends entirely on the product, which is the point. CR's guidance ranged from up to a quarter teaspoon a day for some products to nearly 16 teaspoons for the lowest-lead ones, and CR said the products above 1 ppm should be avoided.¹ Without a batch test for the specific product you own, there is no way to place it on that range.

Where can I check for cinnamon recalls?

FDA's Recalls, Market Withdrawals, and Safety Alerts page lists company announcements as they are posted.⁶ Check it for updates, since this article reflects what was verified in October 2026.

This content is for informational purposes only and not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for health-related concerns.