spice of lead?

This is scary. First time I have ever been glad 1poormom didn’t use any seasoning in her food, even if she used aluminum cookware to prepare it.

https://www.kuow.org/stories/turmeric-poisoned-their-kids-fo…

Spices at American grocery stores can also contain heavy metals – including lead. Last year Consumer Reports tested over a hundred products and found concerning levels of metals in turmeric, basil, cumin and more.

...

As for federal oversight, the FDA has not created limits for the amount lead allowed in spices, though it has for candy, juice, ceramics and silverware. But it has banned some overseas companies from importing turmeric and other spices because of lead contamination.

Spices at American grocery stores can also contain heavy metals

Almost all of my seasonings are organic.

=sheila

"Almost all of my seasonings are organic.

=sheila"


A recent Consumer Reports measured heavy metal contents in various spices - and I seem to recall
the listing included some brands labeled as organic - however I do not have a good memory of the
article right now and could be easily wrong.

The article was in the last two months I think.

Howie52

2 Likes

So I can stop feeling guilty about being too lazy to fix golden milk for a long time. I do use turmeric probably once every other week in a dish. Whole Foods sells turmeric root.

Almost all of my seasonings are organic.

The problem is the soils where the spices grow. Metals come from the ground.

IP

2 Likes

According to the article, another problem is adding a lead compound to turmeric to brighten the color .

ASIDE
This is what you get with laissez-faire capitalism. I’m surprised the FDA doesn’t examine seasonings, which are food. Maybe they figure the average AMerican (small town/suburban white person?) doesn’t eat much of them, but lots of us do.

1 Like

This is what you get with laissez-faire capitalism. I’m surprised the FDA doesn’t examine seasonings, which are food.

Totally agree. The FDA needs to be expanded in a major way. Anything ingestible should be regulated. Spices, meats (already are), various processed foods, supplements, etc. Many comestibles are the wild west…you pays your money, you takes your chances. (And even inspection of regulated items isn’t great because previous administrations severely reduced their budget, and they don’t have enough inspectors.)

1poorguy

4 Likes

The problem is the soils where the spices grow. Metals come from the ground.

I realize that. I’m assuming—hopefully not incorrectly—that the reputable companies are making sure that the soil in which they grow their herbs and spices does not hold toxic levels of metals etc

=sheila