What Consumers Need to Know about Heavy Metals Spice Safety

In 2022, ASTA partnered with several NGOs (GREAT, IDH, CRED) to conduct a pilot study to identify the contributing factors of heavy metals in Vietnamese cassia. The study evaluated levels of heavy metals in the environment (soil, water, air) and in cassia products (fresh & dried). The study did not find a significant relationship between concentrations of heavy metals in the environment and in cassia. However, preliminary data supplied by a cinnamon exporting company demonstrated the potential to significantly reduce the concentration of heavy metals in finished cassia products by peeling the outermost layer of the bark.

ASTA's Guidance Levels for Heavy Metals in Spices outline ASTA's recommended guidance levels for lead in spices and background information on the regulation of heavy metals in spices in the U.S. and abroad, lead in spices, and other resources. This document was revised in 2024 to summarize new developments on the federal and state levels related to the enforcement of heavy metals in spices, as well as to provide insight into the consideration of heavy metals within hazard analyses.