Maryland testers found elevated lead in a ground cinnamon sold in six states

Galil Importing Corp, based in Hauppauge, New York, is recalling a single lot of Lior Cinnamon Ground Seasoning after the Maryland Department of Health found elevated lead in a sample. The 90-gram containers carry lot code GAP11304 and UPC 794711005484, and the product reached shelves in six states over nearly ten months.

No illnesses have been reported so far, which is typical of lead exposures from spices: the metal rarely announces itself, and a raised blood lead level can be the only sign. That quiet profile is the reason a state laboratory result, rather than a patient complaint, set this recall in motion.

One Lot, Six States, Ten Months

The notice posted by the Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 24, 2026 says the cinnamon went to retail stores, grocery stores, delis and supermarkets in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida and Illinois. Distribution ran from Nov. 18, 2025, to Sept. 7, 2026, so the affected jars had a long window in which to be bought and tucked into home pantries, where a spice can sit for years.

Identification is straightforward because the recall is narrow. The product comes in transparent plastic containers packed in cases of six, and the lot code is printed on the side of the container under the ingredient line. Only the 90-gram size with that lot code is covered; the notice names no other Lior products, sizes or lots.

Galil has told customers to stop distributing and selling the cinnamon and to hold remaining inventory. The company also says it has opened a supplier investigation and added enhanced testing and supplier verification to prevent a repeat. Consumers who bought the lot are told not to eat it and may either discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Questions go to Galil at 1-516-496-7400, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time.

What the Maryland Department of Health Sample Shows

The origin of the recall matters as much as its scope. According to the FDA posting, the sample was “collected and analyzed by Maryland Department of Health (MDH),” meaning a state public health laboratory, not federal inspectors, produced the result that triggered the action. State and local testing programs often pull spices from neighborhood markets and delis, the kinds of outlets the notice lists, and a positive result there can lead a distributor to recall voluntarily before any federal enforcement step.

The notice does not state how much lead the sample contained, and no concentration is reported here because none was published. What it does establish is the direction of the finding: the level was elevated enough that Galil recalled the lot and the FDA posted the announcement. Readers looking for a number will not find one in the public record for this recall, and any figure circulating beyond the notice should be treated with caution. The FDA publishes company-issued announcements like this one in its recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts listing, which is the place to check whether Galil later widens the recall to additional lots.

Why Small Amounts of Lead in Food Still Matter

The recall notice itself explains the concern in plain terms. Short-term exposure to very low levels may cause no symptoms, it says, and symptoms are more likely with high-level acute exposure or chronic exposure. For children the language turns firmer: if exposure continues over weeks to months, “permanent damage to the central nervous system may occur,” with learning disorders and developmental defects among the long-term consequences.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes further on the underlying science. CDC states that “No safe blood lead level (BLL) in children has been identified,” and that “The effects of lead poisoning can be permanent and disabling.” The agency sets its blood lead reference value at 3.5 micrograms per deciliter and estimates that approximately 500,000 children in the United States have levels at or above it. A pantry spice used in small pinches is a minor source compared with old paint or water pipes, but a contaminated jar adds to whatever else a child is already absorbing.

The FDA frames the problem as one that can be managed but not eliminated. On its lead in food page the agency says: “While it is not possible to prevent or remove lead entirely from foods, the levels in food can be reduced.” It adds that “Lead is toxic to humans and can affect people of any age or health status,” and that manufacturers are legally required to put controls in place to significantly minimize or prevent exposure to chemical hazards, including lead. Its stated approach weighs toxicity, the measured level, how much is eaten and the vulnerability of very young children.

That last factor is the thread running through the agency’s broader Closer to Zero program, described as an action plan for reducing toxic elements in foods eaten by babies and young children. The program produced final guidance on Jan. 6, 2025, setting action levels for lead in processed food for babies and young children, though the FDA notes that action levels “do not establish a permissible level of contamination.” Those levels cover processed baby food, not a ground spice sold in a deli, so the Lior recall rests on Maryland’s test result and the company’s decision rather than on any numeric threshold.

For households in the six states, the practical step is a quick check of the pantry for the 90-gram Lior jar and its lot code. Anyone who finds GAP11304 should stop using it, and parents of young children who ate food seasoned with it can raise the question of a blood lead test with a pediatrician, since exposure often produces no visible symptoms.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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