Which spices on the retail shelves are free from dangerous amounts of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium? The latest consumer study on spices tested 126 different spice products for heavy metals. We’ve summarized its findings for you and linked up the best products for your purchase. You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like best cookware without PFAS and nanoparticles, best organic mattresses, and best air fryers, now join us for a report on the most popular spices available at the grocery aisle and which ones have dangerous levels of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium.
Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. This post also contains affiliate links.
Table of Contents
Consumer Reports Releases Study on Spices & Heavy Metals at Concerning Levels
Consumer Reports tested 126 products from 15 different categories of spices from Trader Joes, McCormick, Whole Foods, and other popular brands. Some were organic spices while others were not. Here’s some of the results that may be of interest to you:
- One-third of the tested products, 40 in total, had high enough levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium combined, on average, to pose a health concern for children when regularly consumed in typical serving sizes.
- Thyme and oregano–all results were concerning, so please consider growing them in your garden
- 31 products had levels of lead that were so high that they exceeded the maximum amount anyone should have in a day.
- Both organic and conventional brands tested with high levels, so organic isn’t a predictor of safer food here.
- 7 out of the 15 types of herbs and spices tested had heavy metal levels below the thresholds for concern.
- None of the tested herbs and spices were contaminated with salmonella bacteria, which may cause foodborne illness.
Heavy Metals Lead, Arsenic, & Cadmium Can Be Dangerous to Your Health & Concerning in Spices
Frequent exposure to small amounts of heavy metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium, can be hazardous to your health and can raise your blood led levels. Consumer Reports found heavy metals in most categories of spices including basil, black pepper, chili powder, coriander, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, paprika, saffron, sesame seeds, turmeric, & white pepper. When the source of lead exposure is in the kitchen, it can increase a child’s risk of health problems. Heavy metals are difficult for the human body, especially children, to break down and excrete. Over time, they build up.
Heavy metals are particularly problematic to young children affecting brain development, increasing the risk of behavior problems, and a lowered IQ. When adults are exposed to concerning amounts of heavy metals it can increase reproductive problems, hypertension, decrease immune function. It’s also linked to kidney damage and central nervous system problems.
Some recent studies have demonstrated concerning harm with heavy metals in spices:
- In 2018, a study in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found high lead levels in 22 percent of food samples of mostly spices and herbal remedies from homes of children in North Carolina with lead poisoning. It seems that spices, depending on how high the levels are and how often they are used to cook with can have a significant effect on a child.
- In 2010, a study linked a case of lead poisoning in a baby boy from Massachusetts that was 12-months-old. The turmeric used by his family had high levels of heavy metals. In addition, there were 5 similar cases later discovered in Arizona, New York, California, Colorado, & Connecticut.
- Turmeric has been quite a problem since 2011. More than a dozen turmeric products have been recalled since that time.
- In terms of companies that are producing spices with high amounts of heavy metals, there are about two dozen spice companies from 11 countries subject to import alerts for lead contamination. When this happens, it’s a signal to regulators to detain and test those products.
Federal vs. California Prop. 65 “Safe Harbor” Levels For Heavy Metals like Lead & Arsenic
So what levels of lead, arsenic, & cadmium are concerning to public health officials? According to the Food & Drug Administration, the levels inside your food that you are allowed to be exposed to are as follows:
- Heavy metals as lead (as Pb), should not be in your food or supplements at more than 10 parts per million.
- Arsenic (as As), should not be in your food or supplement at more than 3 parts per million.
- Mercury (as Hg), should not be in your food or supplements at more than 1 part per million.
When it comes to protecting consumers, California has far lower levels, but instead of banning products, they force manufacturers to use label warnings. If these Prop. 65 label warnings are inaccurate, companies can be sued by Californians. California has stricter levels under their Prop. 65 List of Carcinogens for acceptable risk and No Significant Risk Levels (NSRLs) for cancer-causing chemicals and Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADLs) for chemicals causing reproductive toxicity. Any product that exhibits heavy metals above these amounts has to be labeled with a Prop. 65 warning to sell to Californians.
- Lead (as Pb), not more than 0.5 parts per million (ppm)
- Inorganic arsenic, not more than 10 ppb (except inhalation) inorganic arsenic
- Cadmium, not more than 4.1 ppb (oral)
Some brands have different product formulations made exclusively for California residents, so this does not mean that the California law covers everyone. But if you have ever seen a Prop. 65 warning label inside a package you purchased, it simply means they are just keeping things consistent with California standards across the United States. These same spices in our report when sold in California, would need to be labeled with a Prop. 65 warning to alert consumers before consumption. This warning label also applies online, so you pay close attention to those warnings.
Mamavation’s Investigation on Spices Free From Concerning Heavy Metals Lead, Arsenic, & Cadmium & Recommended Brands
Mamavation reviewed the consumer study from Consumer Reports testing 126 spices encompassing basil, black pepper, chili powder, coriander, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, paprika, saffron, sesame seeds, turmeric, & white pepper. We divided the groups into three categories: “not our favorite,” “better” and “best.” The levels are based on the levels of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and arsenic that were detected by this independent study. Luckily, none of the tested herbs and spices were contaminated with salmonella bacteria, which can cause foodborne illness.
In order to help make this easier for you, we’ve recommended some products for you that passed and were also made from organic ingredients. We’ve linked up all the brands that passed in our “best” category separately.
- Simply Organic Basil
- Simply Organic Black Pepper
- Simply Organic Chili Powder
- Simply Organic Coriander
- Simply Organic Ground Cumin
- Simply Organic Curry Powder
- Simply Organic Garlic Powder
- Simply Organic Ginger
- Simply Organic Paprika
- Krokos Kozanis Organic Greek Red Saffron in Filaments
- Woodstock Organic Sesame Tahini Unsalted
- Grain Brain Organic Hulled Sesame Seeds
- Simply Organic Turmeric
- Great Value (Walmart) Organic Ground White Pepper
Not Our Favorite Spices with Concerning Levels of Heavy Metals Lead, Arsenic, & Cadmium
This category comprises products that were deemed to have high levels of concern for either arsenic, lead or cadmium. We would not recommend you purchase spices from this category at all. Note: all thyme and oregano are listed in problematic categories.
Basil
- Spice Islands –Sweet Basil
Oregano
- La Flor Ground Oregano
Thyme
- Tone’s Ground Thyme
- Happy Belly (Amazon) Ground Thyme
Tumeric
- La Flor Ground Turmeric
Better Spices With Some Heavy Metal Contamination of Lead, Arsenic, & Cadmium
This category had brands that had some concerning levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and cadmium. However, they were not as bad as the “not our favorite” category. We only recommend purchasing from this category sparingly. Note: all thyme and oregano are at problematic levels.
Basil
- 365 Whole Foods Market Basil
- Great Value (Walmart) Basil Leave
- McCormick Culinary Ground Basil (Albahaca Molida)
- Sausage Maker Ground Basil
- Litehouse Freeze Dried Basil
- Morton & Bassett Basil*
Chili Powder
- Great Value (Walmart) Chili Powder*
Cumin
- Bolner’s Fiesta Ground Comino (Cumin)*
- Badia Ground Cumin (Comino Molido)*
- Great Value (Walmart) Ground Cumin*
- Trader Joe’s Organic Ground Cumin
Ginger
- 365 Whole Foods Market Ground Ginger
- Great Value (Walmart) Organic Ground Ginger
- La Flor Ground Ginger (Jenjibre)
- Tone’s Ground Ginger
- Badia Ground Ginger (Jengibre Molido)
- Spice Islands Ground Ginger
- Morton & Bassett Ground Ginger
- McCormick Ground Ginger
Oregano
- Simply Organic Oregano
- McCormick Ground Oregano
- Penzeys Spices Oregano Turkish
- Spice Islands Oregano
- Badia Ground Oregano (Molido)
- Sadaf Oregano Leaves (Origan)
Paprika
- Great Value (Walmart) Organic Paprika*
- Badia Paprika (Pimenton)*
- Pride of Szeged Sweet Hungarian Style Paprika
- McCormick Paprika
Thyme
- Spice Islands Ground Thyme
- Morton & Bassett Ground Thyme
- McCormick Ground Thyme
Tumeric
- Kirkland Signature (Costco) Ground Turmeric
- Morton & Bassett Turmeric
- McCormick Ground Turmeric
Best Spices Free From Concerning Levels of Heavy Metals Lead, Arsenic, & Cadmium
This category consists of spice products that do not have concerning levels of heavy metals like lead, arsenic and cadmium. We recommend you purchase products from this list. Please note that we have put both organic and non-organic products up here. If you want just a list of organic products, we curated that list for you above in our “recommended” list. Note: all oregano and thyme were at concerning levels. We recommend you purchase those spices fresh or grow it in your garden.
Basil
Black Pepper
- Tone’s Ground Black Pepper
- El Guapo Black Pepper Ground (Pimienta Negra Molida)
- Badia Ground Black Pepper (Pimienta Negra Molida)
- Casablanca Ground Black Pepper (Pimienta Negra)
- Trader Joe’s Organic Ground Black Pepper
- Kirkland Signature (Costco) Fine Ground Black Pepper
- Simply Organic Black Pepper
- Penzeys Spices Tellicherry Black Pepper Fine Shaker Grind
- Great Value (Walmart) Ground Black Pepper
- McCormick Pure Ground Black Pepper
Chili Powder
- Morton & Bassett Chili Powder
- Spice Islands Chili Powder
- Simply Organic Chili Powder
- Badia Polvo de Chili Powder
- Swad Chilli Powder
- Good & Gather (Target) Chili Powder
- Gebhardt Chili Powder
- El Guapo Ground California Chili (Chile California Molido)
- McCormick Dark Chili Powder
Coriander
- Simply Organic Coriander
- Happy Belly (Amazon) Ground Coriander
- Badia Ground Coriander (Culantro Molido)
- Great Value (Walmart) Organic Ground Coriander
- Spice Islands Ground Coriander
- Morton & Bassett Ground Coriander
- Laxmi Brand Corriander Powder
- Penzeys Spices Coriander Ground
Cumin
- Spice Islands Ground Cumin Seed
- Simply Organic Ground Cumin
- El Guapo Cumin (Comino)
- Morton & Bassett Ground Cumin
- McCormick Ground Cumin
- 365 Whole Foods Market Cumin Ground
Curry
- Simply Organic Curry Powder
- Great Value (Walmart) Organic Curry Powder
- Morton & Bassett Curry
- Spice Islands Curry Powder
- Jamaican Choice Jamaican Curry Powder
- McCormick Curry Powder
- Happy Belly (Amazon) Curry Powder
- Caribbean Rhythms Mild Curry Powder
- Badia Jamaican Style Curry Powder
Garlic Powder
- 365 Whole Foods Market Organic Garlic Powder
- Lawry’s Casero Garlic Powder (Ajo en Polvo)
- McCormick Garlic Powder
- Simply Organic Garlic Powder
- Bolner’s Fiesta Garlic Powder
- Kirkland Signature (Costco) Granulated California Garlic
- Great Value (Walmart) Granulated Garlic
- La Flor Garlic Powder (Ajo en Polvo)
- Badia Garlic Powder (Ajo en Polvo)
- Spice Supreme Garlic Powder
Ginger
Paprika
- Morton & Bassett Paprika
- Simply Organic Paprika
- Spice Islands Paprika
- 365 Whole Foods Market Paprika
Saffron
- Pacific Plaza Imports Full Thread Spanish Saffron
- Krokos Kozanis Organic Greek Red Saffron in Filaments
- Vigo Imported Saffron
- Badia Pure Selected Saffron (Azafran)
- McCormick Gourmet All Natural Spanish Saffron
- Sadaf Pure, Premium Saffron Thread
Sesame
- Sincerely Nuts Sesame Hulled
- Woodstock Organic Sesame Tahini Unsalted
- Al Wadi Al Akhdar Tahina 100% Ground Sesame
- Grain Brain Organic Hulled Sesame Seeds
- Bob’s Red Mill Premium Hulled White Sesame Seeds
- Penzeys Spices Sesame Seeds White Hulled
- Roland Tahini Pure Ground Sesame Seed
- JFC Premium Roasted White Sesame Seed
- Sadaf Sesame Seed Raw
Turmeric
- Laxmi Brand Turmeric Powder
- Spice Islands Turmeric
- Sadaf Turmeric Powder (Curcuma)
- Simply Organic Turmeric
- Badia Ground Turmeric (Curcuma Molida)
White Pepper
- Great Value (Walmart) Organic Ground White Pepper
- Penzeys Spices White Pepper Indonesia Fine Ground
- Badia Ground White (Pepper Pimienta Blanca Molida)
- Morton & Bassett Ground White Pepper
- Spice Islands Ground White Pepper
- Sadaf Ground White Pepper (Poivre Blanc Moulu)
- McCormick Ground White Pepper
- La Flor White Pepper
Safest Non-Toxic Jackets & Raincoats without PFAS “Forever Chemicals”
Can anyone please tell me if Spice Train whole cumin seeds are compromised by heavy metals?
Thank you,
Marie
Can anyone or Mamavation answer if Spice Train whole cumin seeds are comprised with heavy metal’s? I use this brand to make my Jeera tea.
Thank you,
Sunny
I would love to hear about Frontier spices too
Simply organic it’s pretty much across the board considered OK. This is apparently a subsidiary of frontier spices
Are these spices ranked from lowest to highest regarding heavy metals content? Thank you.
Thank you for your time on all of this! It’s very helpful. So many stealth moves to be cautious of, even in the organic world. Any thoughts on Azure’s organic spices?
Is there any chance you’d test bulk spices? Like frontier co-op, mountain rose herbs, Star west botanicals?
Or Essentially Organic. I would love to know the levels of theirs.
I am wondering exactly the same thing, Marie, because I purchase from these three companies.
What about Ceylon cinnamon
Red ape
Here with the same question!
Here is their findings when they investigated Cinnamon
https://mamavation.com/food/cinnamon-lead-cadmium-glyphosate.html
It would be quite useful if there were testing kits that could test for some or all heavy metals. That would go a long way in alerting and protecting consumers from these horrid contaminates.
I agree! I’d love that. I’m so curious if any of these results have changed since 01. Companies just seem so shady these days. 🙁
There are but they are expensive. Take a look at the food testing being done by Lead Safe Mama
~ I can sum it up in one phrase: THEY’RE KILLING US [SLOWLY] and without us realising it. It is simply PRE-MEDITATED MURDER OF THE MASSES…DEPOPULATION, if you please. Their goal is to make us sick. We’d have to return to living as cave dwellers, so the corporate big whigs can take advantage of the egregious salaries, bonuses and parachute clauses in their contracts. They don’t care a crap about us…it’s about overriding the will of the people and forcing their WILL on us. Whether or not we comply is only a matter of time. Whether it’s chem trails or through food poisoning, however, our health and blood will be forever on their heads. ~
Agree totally with all you stated!
You are 100% right! The question is, what do we do about it??? Stop buying products that we know are harmful to our health! People need to unite against these big corporations that are only concerned about profits and could care less about people and our health!
~ I can sum it up in one phrase: THEY’RE KILLING US. It is simply PRE-MEDITATED MURDER OF THE MASSES…DEPOPULATION, if you please. We’d have to return to living as cave dwellers, so the corporate big whigs can take advantage of the bonuses and parachute clauses in their contracts. They don’t care a crap about us…it’s about overriding the will of the people and forcing their WILL on us. Whether or not we comply is only a matter of time. Whether it’s chem trails or through food poisoning, however, our health and blood will be forever on their heads. ~
what about Frontier Co-op?
Frontier co-op distributes the Simply brand.
Is there a list of organic food products that has been tested for heavy metals? This was a very interesting article on spices and herbs.
Thank you for compiling these lists. I would love to know if there are any safe brands of organic cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and bay leaves. I haven’t been able to find any.
I know red ape cinnamon is free from heavy metals!
What is the * next to various spices for?
I really appreciate the testing of so many items we encounter on a daily basis. I have become a bit paranoid because poison it is in every aspect of my day! I have thrown away my expensive “MY PILLOW” due to the polyurethane it contained and I worry when I sit on my couch or living room chair because they contain toxic materials. I have gotten rid of all my favorite dishes because they contained unhealthy amounts of lead and I panic when I prepare meals in any of my pans because they all emit a toxin. There is poison in just about everything I cook/eat; veggies and fruits with pesticides from the top 10 list and more, foods laced with glyphosate, unhealthy seafood (whether it be “farmed” or from the polluted ocean), juice with arsenic, almonds have cyanide, along with just about every spice I’ve purchased containing dangerous metals. I recently read about the materials in my workout clothes and my waterproof raincoats being hazardous to my health. The air fryer I wanted to buy is dangerous to cook with. So many foods are GMO’s? When you put it all together, we barely have a fighting chance. What do the company big shots that provide us with these products feed themselves and their families?
Well said. 🙁
Any testing on onion powder or cayenne?
Yes, I am curious about that too. And the Costco chopped dried onion.
That’s what I’m looking for as well. Our family uses a lot and I’ve been watching about other health benefits for cayenne so I’d like the cleanest I can buy in bulk.
what about Frontier CO-OP?
I contacted Frontier bec I buy their spices in bulk from a local store. They said that they stans by their herbs and spices containing less than 1 ppm lead. I didn’t ask about other metals but I guess I need to.
~ I can sum it up in one phrase: THEY’RE KILLING US. It is simply PRE-MEDITATED MURDER OF THE MASSES…DEPOPULATION, if you please. We’d have to return to living as cave dwellers, so the corporate big whigs can take advantage of the bonuses and parachute clauses in their contracts. They don’t care a crap about us…it’s about overriding the will of the people and forcing their WILL on us. Whether or not we comply is only a matter of time. Whether it’s chem trails or through food poisoning, however, our health and blood will be forever on their heads. ~
Good question.
Its all freaking me out
Exactly what I want to know is what do all these decision making pathetic “human beings” use for themselves. It’s a full time job to just try and ensure the health and survival of my wife and children and one day we will all need to take a stand against these corrupt tyrants once and for all. Their biggest fear is that we all stop fighting each other and then go against the real enemy, which is the system it self. I hope that we can make the changes nessasry to our world for future generations sake.
I really appreciate the testing of so many items we encounter on a daily basis. I have become a bit paranoid because poison it is in every aspect of my day! I have thrown away my expensive “MY PIILOW” due to the polyurethane it contained and I worry when I sit on my couch or living room chair because they contain toxic materials. I have gotten rid of all my favorite dishes because they contained unhealthy amounts of lead and I panic when I prepare meals in any of my pans because they all emit a toxin. There is poison in just about everything I cook/eat; veggies and fruits with pesticides from the top 10 list and more, foods laced with glyphosate, unhealthy seafood (whether it be “farmed” or from the polluted ocean), juice with arsenic, almonds have cyanide, along with just about every spice I’ve purchased containing dangerous metals. I recently read about the materials in my workout clothes and my waterproof raincoats being hazardous to my health. The air fryer I wanted to buy is dangerous to cook with. So many foods are GMO’s? When you put it all together, we barely have a fighting chance. What do the company big shots that provide us with these products feed themselves and their families?
I would guess they have upper crust brands that keep their contamination to a minimum unless they are aliens but I bet they don’t eat our commoner stuff.
Hello! I am interested in purchasing some organic spices on the best list in bulk but Simply Organic doesn’t sell in bulk. Any ideas? Thank you!
You never want to purchase non-organic spices unless you’re into eating irradiated spices or spices treated with toxic fumigation chemicals.
But even organic spices can contain high levels of mycotoxins, possibly more because they haven’t been irradiated or fumigated.
Ground spices are not a good choice in general, unless you know who is farming them and processing them and the methods they’re using.
If this helps, Fronteir Co-op is the producer for 365/Whole Foods brand to my knowledge
I was directed to a product, cumin, on Amazon. It listed both US and India as the origin of the seeds. Package says India. Generally cumin from India has some of the higest levels of heavy metals. There’s a Prop 65 wanring on the package. I don’t trust these links.
Thanks for this article and your efforts to help us be safe and healthy! I will use this information well.
Thank you for taking the time to compile this list. It is greatly appreciated. But please spell TURMERIC correctly. LOL
Thank you!!!
What about “packaged” products that contain spices…almost all!
Now what! Even organic canned tomatoes that I buy with garlic or Italian seasoning could be problematic. WOW! WOW! And I am a tiny person. I might be in more trouble than average sized people.
It seems that spices, and depending on how high the levels are and how often they are used to cook with can have a significant effect on a child.
I purchase many of my spices from Mountain Rose Herbs. Have you tested anything from them? Thank you for all you do!
I purchase from them, too! Organic spices and loose leaf teas. Would love to know if their stuff is uncontaminated as well.
No I’m sorry, we haven’t.
Go to the Mountain Rose web site. They have certificates of analysis for many, but not all, of their spices but you need to request them individually, there is not central data base. I did this via their chat and quickly received the complete reports for ginger, turmeric, and sweet cinnamon. You could probably email as well.
My air fryer is great at dehydrating my leafy spices. Thank you very much for an intelligent, thoughtful and compassionate website.
I see you have tested some products from the Walmart great value brand. Did you test or do you know where I can see the results of testing on the great value organic turmeric?
Thanks
This was so informative! Thank you for all you do for us????. I grow several herbs and dry them myself, I’ll definitely continue to do so, but great to have this list for what I cannot grow!
Thank you for the work you do!
I’d like to know if you have information on toxin levels the Frontier Coop brand may have…in hoping they’re clean because I purchase most my spices from them.
Thank you in advance!
I would also like to know about Frontier Coop!
Agree that it would be great to know about Frontier Coop and Mountain Rose Herbs as these are popular, high quality brands.
Eliza let us know about the Frontier brand spices in relation to heavy metals
I was hoping for parsley, sage and rosemary to be included too. I use a lot of these along with many of those included in the report. Thank you so much for all you do!
Most parsley sage and rosemary are grow here in usa
We just need a quick article. This was WAY too involved. People only have time to scan stuff. Good content, but WAY too much fluff
Really? They work so incredibly hard to gather this study. If you don’t read the study you are uninformed! Don’t just follow what people tell you to do. In the very least understand what is being discussed – it’s very important!
Need to learn, just be grateful!! Unbelievable! That is why the earth is going to pieces. Yes, it is in depth because it is valuable information. Be grateful
Wow! So helpful. Thank you, Leah! I know what brand I’ll be buying from here on out. 🙂
Thank you ever so much! Who would have thought this? I know I certainly I would not in my wildest dreams! Thank you again!
Oh wow! Thank you for your report! What about salt? And peppercorn?
Hi, this is very helpful. I was also hoping to find information on Heavy Metals including Lead in green, black, and herbal teas by popular brands such as Republic of Tea, Smith tea, Hervey and Sons tea, Serendipity Tea.
Much appreciated.
My daughter works for Adams Spices. Are these good spices to consume. Thank you.
I just ordered sea salt from “Salt Works”. They seem to have a very thorough process to eliminate heavy metals. Still trying to find peppercorns!
Thank you first and foremost. Could you cover Salt? There are so many varieties Real Salt, Himalayan, Sea and so many brands.
I just ordered from Redmond Life Store their All Seasoning, Garlic Pepper and Lemon Pepper and have their Real Salt and Organic Garlic Salt.
Lead safe mama has an article on her blog about safe and unsafe salt! Pink Himalaya salt is one of the bad ones according to her.
The FDA allowed all salt to include fluoride a few years back so HIMALAYAN has it as far as I know so Salt is marginal as far as I am concerned to begin with. Fluoride doesn’t legally need to be put on the label. So many salts contain it.