High levels of lead found in cinnamon powder, spice blends of 12 brands in US: Report
New York: An analysis by Consumer Reports has revealed concerning levels of lead in a variety of cinnamon powders and multi-spice blends sold in the United States. The investigation, which tested 36 different products, found that 12 brands exceeded the lead safety threshold of 1 part per million (ppm) established by New York, the only state currently regulating heavy metals in spices in the U.S.
Consumer Reports, a non-profit organisation, identified high lead levels in several cinnamon powder and multi-spice products from 12 brands, including Paras, EGN, Mimi's Products, Bowl and Basket, Rani Brand, Zara Foods, Three Rivers, Yu Yee Brand, BaiLiFeng, Spicy King, Badia, and Deep.
The brand Paras exhibited the highest lead content in cinnamon powder at 3.52 ppm, followed by EGN at 2.91 ppm, Mimi’s Products ground cinnamon at 2.03 ppm, Bowl and Basket ground cinnamon at 1.82 ppm, Rani ground cinnamon at 1.39 ppm, Zara Foods cinnamon powder at 1.27 ppm, Three Rivers cinnamon stick powder at 1.26 ppm, Yu Yee Brand five spice powder at 1.25 ppm, BaiLiFeng five spice powder at 1.15 ppm, Spicy King five spices powder at 1.05 ppm, Badia cinnamon powder at 1.03 ppm, and Deep cinnamon powder at 1.02 ppm, as mentioned by Times of India on Wednesday.
James Rogers, the director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports, highlighted health risks linked to lead exposure, pointing out that even small amounts of the mentioned cinnamon products can accumulate in the body over time, leading to serious health concerns.
The report, which was published last month, advised consumers not to solely rely on labels such as "organic" or the source of the cinnamon, and recommended avoiding unfamiliar brands.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), lead exposure can lead to severe developmental issues in children and long-term health problems in adults, including increased blood pressure and kidney damage. Additionally, high levels of lead exposure in pregnant women can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and low birth weight.
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Research key to growth in physiotherapy field: Speaker U.T. Khader
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Mangaluru: Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U.T. Khader said that continuous research is essential to achieve excellence in the field of physiotherapy.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the valedictory ceremony of the two-day international physiotherapy conference ‘Mangalore PhysioCon-2026’, organised by the South Canara Physiotherapy Teachers Association at TMA Pai Convention Centre in the city.
Khader said physiotherapy today offers wide opportunities and has seen growing demand not only in India but across the world. He noted that three decades ago, very few students opted for physiotherapy education, but now the course has gained significant global demand.
He also said that there were no government physiotherapy colleges in the state earlier, and that the first such college was started during his tenure as Health Minister. He added that the institution has now emerged as one of the best in the state.
Chairman of Tejaswini Hospital Group of Institutions, Prof M. Shantharam Shetty, said physiotherapists play an important role in reducing patients’ pain in the present healthcare system.
Awards presented
On the occasion, Dr Shantharam Shetty was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Best Academician awards were presented to Dr Lourduraj I (Principal, Yenepoya Physiotherapy College), Dr Prabhu (MEM College of Physiotherapy, Bengaluru) and Dr Prasanna Kumar (East Point College of Physiotherapy).
The Best Clinician awards were given to Sherin George (Sparsha Hospital, Bengaluru), Basavaraj Nanjanavar (Belagavi) and Dr Sumita Hemavathi (Bengaluru).
A special award was presented to Dr Shravan Poojari of Masood College of Physiotherapy.
Among those present were Dr U.K. Monu, president of Kanachur Islamic Education Trust; Vasanth Hegde, chairman of Oxford Group of Institutions; Dr Abdul Shakeel, chairman of Abdul Shakeel Charitable Trust; Dr Suresh Babu Reddy, vice-president of the Indian Association of Physiotherapists; Dr Sai Kumar N., Dean, Allied & Physiotherapy, Sanjay Gandhi College of Physiotherapy; Dr V.R. Ayyappan, chairman of physiotherapy at RGUHS; and organising committee of Mangalore PhysioCon 2026 Dr U.T. Iftikhar Fareed.
