Ground cinnamon sold at Dollar Tree, Family Dollar tainted with lead, FDA warns

Ground cinnamon sold by discount retailers including the Dollar Tree and Family Dollar may be contaminated with high levels of lead and should be thrown out, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said Wednesday. Supreme Tradition brand ground cinnamon, sold in those retail chains, is among a group of cinnamon products found to have levels that may be unsafe for people — particularly children — with prolonged exposure, according to the federal agency. High levels of exposure to lead in utero, infancy and early childhood can lead to neurological effects such brain damage, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. The effects also can include slowed development, learning issues, behavior problems and hearing and speech deficiencies.