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A selection of various colorful spices on a wooden table in bowls

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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. 

Spices free from dangerous heavy metals on a table

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.

Traditional oriental spices in Indonesian bowls

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.

Spices free from lead on a black table

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.

Spices and herbs in wooden bowls. Food and cuisine ingredients

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.

A selection of various colorful spices on a wooden table in bowls

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

Spices and herbs. Curry, saffron, turmeric, cinnamon over wood

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

Spices with low heavy metals

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

Chili Powder

Coriander

Cumin

Curry

Garlic Powder

Ginger

Paprika

Saffron

Sesame

Turmeric

White Pepper

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