Confidence with Curio: Safe, Clean Cinnamon

Fall is here – a season that inspires gathering and community. This means spiced baked goods, warm beverages, and hearty stews filling our tables. As we all embrace this cozy season with its nostalgic and comforting flavors, there can be nothing more jarring than learning that one of your favorite ingredients is not safe to eat. 

Spices and spice safety have been in the news a lot lately. An alarming study from Consumer Reports revealed that mass-market cinnamons have dangerous levels of lead. This means the cinnamon you find at your local grocery store may be harmful, and this might cause you to wonder about Curio’s cinnamon. Our goal here is to assure you that our cinnamons are safe to use, and why we know this to be true. 

How do we know our cinnamon is safe? 

In the past several months, there have been consistent findings of elevated heavy metals, in particular lead levels, in cinnamon products.These cases are under investigation by the FDA, and outline several brands that should be avoided or disposed of.

Unlike the brands listed in the above reports, as well as other mass market cinnamons, Curio spices come from single origins and have transparent, short supply chains. All three of our cinnamons (Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon, Indonesian Cassia Cinnamon and Sri Lankan Sweet Cinnamon) are safe to consume, with our Sri Lankan and Indonesian cinnamons having even lower amounts of trace lead than the “best to use” suggestions shared by Consumer Reports. ⁠

Like other naturally occurring minerals and heavy metals, lead can get into our food and water and cause harm if consumed in quantities over the safe limit, which is why we believe that learning about where and how your food is grown in today’s complex world is important - it’s one of the many reasons why Curio was born!⁠

The bottom line is that you can be confident that our products are safe, alongside being delicious and making the world a better place for all.⁠ Shop with knowledge, and join us in signing the petition to urge the FDA to regulate this issue! 

Disclaimer: Curio spices were not included in Consumer Reports testing report, but Curio conducted independent testing through a certified lab.

Our cinnamon test results:

Sweet Sri Lankan Cinnamon: 0.01 ppm - Safe to use 5+ tsp per day

Indonesian Cassia Cinnamon: 0.01 ppm - Safe to use 5+ tsp per day

Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon: 0.36 ppm - Safe to use ½ tsp per day

“Safe to use” limits come from Consumer Reports Sept 12th 2024 article 

Email us if you’d like to learn more: support@curiospice.com

Learn more! (Sources)

FDA Alert Concerning Certain Cinnamon Products Due to Presence of Elevated Levels of Lead

17 Ground-Cinnamon Products Could Be Contaminated With Lead, FDA Warns

The 12 Cinnamon Powders You Should Never Use 

The Truth About Metals in Food

A closer look at the FDA's "Closer to Zero" plant to reduce for heavy metals in children's food