7 ms·

See also "Ground Turmeric as a Source of Lead Exposure in the United States": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

See also "Ground Turmeric as a Source of Lead Exposure in the United States": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/ The problem with lead in tumeric seems to extend beyond Bangladesh.

CoastalCoder 3y ago
Yikes. Are their any trustworthy, mainstream sources of spices in the U.S.? E.g., if I buy turmeric from Walmart or Whole Foods, can I safely assume that they're monitoring the product streams for lead? EDIT: I just saw a sibling comment about a company named "American Turmeric". I'm curious about more mainstream sellers, who might possibly monitor other spices as well. I'd prefer to not play whack-a-mole on a spice-by-spice basis.
- natdempk 3y ago
  Yeah I've also been wondering this. Would love it if anyone has similar knowledge, especially about other spices beyond Tumeric.
  - TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
    I posted this above. ConsumerLab does this testing on all sorts of products and foods. They are a non-profit. The annual fee you pay supports the research and testing directly. They tested many brands of both spice and supplement for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, and published the amounts they found in each brand: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple... Of great importance lately was their discovery of benzene in many common sunscreens which forced many product recalls. I used their findings to change brands for my entire family.
    - CoastalCoder 3y ago
      Thanks for the ConsumerLab pointer. The link you provided doesn't work for me. Is [0] the right article? [0] https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supplements-spice-review/turmeric/ https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple...
      - TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
        Sorry: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supplements-spice-review/turmeric/ https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple...
- _adamb 3y ago
  If you're consuming it as a supplement it's a lot cheaper (and safer) to just make it yourself. The process is basically: cut it up into thin slices, dry it out in the oven, grind it up. If you're not taking it in supplement quantities, then I'm not sure I'd be tremendously worried about any other contamination...
  - lisasays 3y ago
    Doesn't help at all if the roots themselves are dusted, as per the article. Right?
    - _adamb 3y ago
      Good question. Most turmeric roots I've bought aren't nearly as bright orange as the powered stuff. I _assume_ that means they're not applying the same chromate brightening agent but it's not impossible. I guess I'll have to start growing it myself...
- UberFly 3y ago
  After reading that article I personally won't trust any I buy from anywhere unless it's from a reputable source and actually states that it's tested/lead-free. Yikes.
  - klipt 3y ago
    "Lead free" may be impossible, there is natural levels of lead in the soil that is taken up by plants. However there's orders of magnitude difference between those natural levels, and adulterated spices with lead deliberately added for coloring. Try googling the lead content of an average carrot, for example.
- dunham 3y ago
  I buy from thespicehouse.com - they seem to be careful, but I haven't inquired about turmeric. I should send them an email. (I prefer them over Penzey's, which is the same family, because they have dried fenugreek leaves.)
  - EricE 3y ago
    seconded - high quality and friendly service. Hard to ask for more.
    - autoexec 3y ago
      Unless you maybe want to ask for proof that they test their products for lead. That seems pretty easy.
  - x0x0 3y ago
    I buy from there too. Here's their answer and it's disappointing. tl;dr: they import the whole spice and have it ground in the US. https://www.thespicehouse.com/pages/ingredients-and-allergy-information https://www.thespicehouse.com/pages/ingredients-and-allergy-... forget trusted suppliers; they should be running lab tests on random samples
  - RhodesianHunter 3y ago
    If you don't have or provide any insight into their testing processes, I don't think a recommendation is relevant here.
  - marze 3y ago
    I emailed Bill Penzey a few years ago, asking if they did testing for lead in their turmeric, got no response.
- LetThereBeLight 3y ago
  Burlap and Barrel I believe has a good reputation with their spice sourcing. https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/turmeric https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/turmeric
- salad-tycoon 3y ago
  Some supplement companies/nootropic companies purport to do 3rd party certificate of analysis with microbe, and heavy metal testing. You can find them on Reddit. Can you believe the companies? I kinda do.
- perihelions 3y ago
  - "E.g., if I buy turmeric from Walmart or Whole Foods, can I safely assume that they're monitoring the product streams for lead?" You can safely assume absolutely nothing. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/your-herbs-and-spices-might-contain-arsenic-cadmium-and-lead-a6246621494/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/your-herb... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29375003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29375003 ("Herbs and Spices Might Contain Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead (consumerreports.org)") (2021) - "The lack of regulation leaves much of the monitoring of heavy metal levels to companies. [Consumer Reports] contacted all the ones with products in our tests to see how they limited heavy metals." - "Of the companies that replied to our questions—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Costco, Bolner’s Fiesta, Gebhardt, Litehouse, McCormick, Roland Foods, Spice Islands, Target, and Whole Foods—a few said they require their suppliers to have a program for controlling or testing for heavy metals. But only three—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Bolner’s Fiesta, and McCormick—specifically said they test products in their manufacturing plants for heavy metals."
  - TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
    ConsumerLab tested many brands of both spice and supplement for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, and published the amounts they found in each brand: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supplements-spice-review/turmeric/?search=spice#results https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple... Paywall
    - asdff 3y ago
      What an article to put behind a paywall
      - perihelions 3y ago
        If you want food safety inspection results to be paywall-free, make your government do them.
  - jorvi 3y ago
    I don’t understand. If someone gets lead poisoning from regularly using a spiked batch of theirs, can’t they sue the everlasting piss out of these companies?
- bigbillheck 3y ago
  It's hard to go wrong with Penzey's : https://www.penzeys.com/pages/consumer-reports https://www.penzeys.com/pages/consumer-reports
  - EricE 3y ago
    Only for half of the company, according to their CEO
- MengerSponge 3y ago
  Spicewalla (out of Asheville) should be reputable
- citruscomputing 3y ago
  If they don't publish them, email and ask for a COA (certificate of analysis) with heavy metal data. If you know your lot #, include that too. It's not perfect, you're trusting not only the company but wherever they sourced their spices from, but they DO have the info, and it's better than nothing. p.s. "random" testing is a joke. Also will second the burlap and barrel rec for turmeric specifically. Source: worked in spices for a bit.
camgunz 3y ago
Yeah! I read this maybe a couple years ago and now lead test anything w/ turmeric in it (tea, actual turmeric, etc.) Haven't come up positive yet though, thank goodness. Can recommend just lead testing things. Test kits are cheap, it's very easy to do, you really want to know if you're eating/drinking lead (especially if you have kids). Also can recommend getting a water filter. It doesn't really fix dishwashing but for drinking or making things w/ water it's very easy -- you can get pretty big tanks where you could conceivably even make a pot of spaghetti and such.
- elzbardico 3y ago
  Where can I find those test kits?
  - TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
    Amazon. There are even strips. Now can we trust the manufacturer of the tests themselves given amazons sometimes shitty vendor quality? Who knows.
    - masfuerte 3y ago
      I have a gas engineer test my appliances every year. Last year he also fitted a CO alarm and he said he would test it every year. I asked if he had a CO aerosol to test the alarm. No, he said, I just press the button. Who knows if the alarm actually detects CO? Anyway, if you want to test your lead test, introduce it to some lead.
testfoobar 3y ago
A few more: "Lead in Spices, Herbal Remedies, and Ceremonial Powders Sampled from Home Investigations for Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels — North Carolina, 2011–2018": https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6746a2.htm https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6746a2.htm "Analysis of Lead in Spices Obtained from Bulk Food Stores" (PDF): http://libjournals.unca.edu/ncur/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2902-Morgan-Ian-FINAL.pdf http://libjournals.unca.edu/ncur/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/... "Heavy Metals in Cultural Products": https://www.epa.gov/children/heavy-metals-cultural-products https://www.epa.gov/children/heavy-metals-cultural-products

CoastalCoder 3y ago

Yikes. Are their any trustworthy, mainstream sources of spices in the U.S.? E.g., if I buy turmeric from Walmart or Whole Foods, can I safely assume that they're monitoring the product streams for lead? EDIT: I just saw a sibling comment about a company named "American Turmeric". I'm curious about more mainstream sellers, who might possibly monitor other spices as well. I'd prefer to not play whack-a-mole on a spice-by-spice basis.

natdempk 3y ago
Yeah I've also been wondering this. Would love it if anyone has similar knowledge, especially about other spices beyond Tumeric.
- TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
  I posted this above. ConsumerLab does this testing on all sorts of products and foods. They are a non-profit. The annual fee you pay supports the research and testing directly. They tested many brands of both spice and supplement for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, and published the amounts they found in each brand: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple... Of great importance lately was their discovery of benzene in many common sunscreens which forced many product recalls. I used their findings to change brands for my entire family.
  - CoastalCoder 3y ago
    Thanks for the ConsumerLab pointer. The link you provided doesn't work for me. Is [0] the right article? [0] https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supplements-spice-review/turmeric/ https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple...
    - TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
      Sorry: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supplements-spice-review/turmeric/ https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple...
_adamb 3y ago
If you're consuming it as a supplement it's a lot cheaper (and safer) to just make it yourself. The process is basically: cut it up into thin slices, dry it out in the oven, grind it up. If you're not taking it in supplement quantities, then I'm not sure I'd be tremendously worried about any other contamination...
- lisasays 3y ago
  Doesn't help at all if the roots themselves are dusted, as per the article. Right?
  - _adamb 3y ago
    Good question. Most turmeric roots I've bought aren't nearly as bright orange as the powered stuff. I _assume_ that means they're not applying the same chromate brightening agent but it's not impossible. I guess I'll have to start growing it myself...
UberFly 3y ago
After reading that article I personally won't trust any I buy from anywhere unless it's from a reputable source and actually states that it's tested/lead-free. Yikes.
- klipt 3y ago
  "Lead free" may be impossible, there is natural levels of lead in the soil that is taken up by plants. However there's orders of magnitude difference between those natural levels, and adulterated spices with lead deliberately added for coloring. Try googling the lead content of an average carrot, for example.
dunham 3y ago
I buy from thespicehouse.com - they seem to be careful, but I haven't inquired about turmeric. I should send them an email. (I prefer them over Penzey's, which is the same family, because they have dried fenugreek leaves.)
- EricE 3y ago
  seconded - high quality and friendly service. Hard to ask for more.
  - autoexec 3y ago
    Unless you maybe want to ask for proof that they test their products for lead. That seems pretty easy.
- x0x0 3y ago
  I buy from there too. Here's their answer and it's disappointing. tl;dr: they import the whole spice and have it ground in the US. https://www.thespicehouse.com/pages/ingredients-and-allergy-information https://www.thespicehouse.com/pages/ingredients-and-allergy-... forget trusted suppliers; they should be running lab tests on random samples
- RhodesianHunter 3y ago
  If you don't have or provide any insight into their testing processes, I don't think a recommendation is relevant here.
- marze 3y ago
  I emailed Bill Penzey a few years ago, asking if they did testing for lead in their turmeric, got no response.
LetThereBeLight 3y ago
Burlap and Barrel I believe has a good reputation with their spice sourcing. https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/turmeric https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/products/turmeric
salad-tycoon 3y ago
Some supplement companies/nootropic companies purport to do 3rd party certificate of analysis with microbe, and heavy metal testing. You can find them on Reddit. Can you believe the companies? I kinda do.
perihelions 3y ago
- "E.g., if I buy turmeric from Walmart or Whole Foods, can I safely assume that they're monitoring the product streams for lead?" You can safely assume absolutely nothing. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/your-herbs-and-spices-might-contain-arsenic-cadmium-and-lead-a6246621494/ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/your-herb... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29375003 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29375003 ("Herbs and Spices Might Contain Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead (consumerreports.org)") (2021) - "The lack of regulation leaves much of the monitoring of heavy metal levels to companies. [Consumer Reports] contacted all the ones with products in our tests to see how they limited heavy metals." - "Of the companies that replied to our questions—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Costco, Bolner’s Fiesta, Gebhardt, Litehouse, McCormick, Roland Foods, Spice Islands, Target, and Whole Foods—a few said they require their suppliers to have a program for controlling or testing for heavy metals. But only three—Al Wadi Al Akhdar, Bolner’s Fiesta, and McCormick—specifically said they test products in their manufacturing plants for heavy metals."
- TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
  ConsumerLab tested many brands of both spice and supplement for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, and published the amounts they found in each brand: https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supplements-spice-review/turmeric/?search=spice#results https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/turmeric-curcumin-supple... Paywall
  - asdff 3y ago
    What an article to put behind a paywall
    - perihelions 3y ago
      If you want food safety inspection results to be paywall-free, make your government do them.
- jorvi 3y ago
  I don’t understand. If someone gets lead poisoning from regularly using a spiked batch of theirs, can’t they sue the everlasting piss out of these companies?
bigbillheck 3y ago
It's hard to go wrong with Penzey's : https://www.penzeys.com/pages/consumer-reports https://www.penzeys.com/pages/consumer-reports
- EricE 3y ago
  Only for half of the company, according to their CEO
MengerSponge 3y ago
Spicewalla (out of Asheville) should be reputable
citruscomputing 3y ago
If they don't publish them, email and ask for a COA (certificate of analysis) with heavy metal data. If you know your lot #, include that too. It's not perfect, you're trusting not only the company but wherever they sourced their spices from, but they DO have the info, and it's better than nothing. p.s. "random" testing is a joke. Also will second the burlap and barrel rec for turmeric specifically. Source: worked in spices for a bit.

camgunz 3y ago

Yeah! I read this maybe a couple years ago and now lead test anything w/ turmeric in it (tea, actual turmeric, etc.) Haven't come up positive yet though, thank goodness. Can recommend just lead testing things. Test kits are cheap, it's very easy to do, you really want to know if you're eating/drinking lead (especially if you have kids). Also can recommend getting a water filter. It doesn't really fix dishwashing but for drinking or making things w/ water it's very easy -- you can get pretty big tanks where you could conceivably even make a pot of spaghetti and such.

elzbardico 3y ago
Where can I find those test kits?
- TedDoesntTalk 3y ago
  Amazon. There are even strips. Now can we trust the manufacturer of the tests themselves given amazons sometimes shitty vendor quality? Who knows.
  - masfuerte 3y ago
    I have a gas engineer test my appliances every year. Last year he also fitted a CO alarm and he said he would test it every year. I asked if he had a CO aerosol to test the alarm. No, he said, I just press the button. Who knows if the alarm actually detects CO? Anyway, if you want to test your lead test, introduce it to some lead.

testfoobar 3y ago

A few more: "Lead in Spices, Herbal Remedies, and Ceremonial Powders Sampled from Home Investigations for Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels — North Carolina, 2011–2018": https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6746a2.htm https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6746a2.htm "Analysis of Lead in Spices Obtained from Bulk Food Stores" (PDF): http://libjournals.unca.edu/ncur/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2902-Morgan-Ian-FINAL.pdf http://libjournals.unca.edu/ncur/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/... "Heavy Metals in Cultural Products": https://www.epa.gov/children/heavy-metals-cultural-products https://www.epa.gov/children/heavy-metals-cultural-products