Dive Brief:
- A New York importer has recalled an undisclosed quantity of ground cumin after it was found to be contaminated with lead, Food Safety News reports.
- The lead levels in the recalled product are high enough to cause health problems, which can include developmental disorders in children and permanent damage to the central nervous system among pregnant women.
- The contamination was discovered during routine checks by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Food Inspector. The recalled products were distributed to retail stores in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, packaged in 2-ounce plastic bags and carry the UPC number 884752003812.
Dive Insight:
Lead contamination is a recurring problem in spices imported into the U.S. Last year, Indian turmeric imported by Spices USA was found to contain excessive amounts of lead, and it is a common issue for spices such as fenugreek, cardamom and chili powder.
Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), importers have had to vet suppliers through its Foreign Supplier Verification Program since the end of April 2017. However, it is hard to know whether this is sufficient to prevent problems such as lead contamination, considering that the source of lead in imported spices remains unknown. Harvard researchers have examined soil to see if this could be to blame, but the report was inconclusive. Others suggest it could get into the spice during processing or could even be added intentionally to increase the powder’s weight.
The fact that the problem of lead contamination continues to be detected underlines the importance of safety checks. Introduced in 2011, the FSMA aimed to shift the focus away from responding to food contamination to preventing it. It mandated the inspection of at least 600 foreign food firms in its first year and a doubling of those inspections every year for the next five years. However, the Government Accountability Office has found that these targets were hit only in the first and second years. By 2013, the FDA had managed to inspect 1,403 facilities — and this number has not grown since. The FDA has blamed a lack of funding for the shortfall.