It’s no secret that some spices can have serious health benefits (and turn a flavorless meal into something to write home about). We love theanti-inflammatory power of turmericand the blast of flavor that a sprinkle of chili powder or garlic powder offers—buta new investigation fromConsumer Reportsis making us think twice about the spices we use each day.Consumer Reportstested bottles of 126 dried herbs and spices for the presence of arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and salmonella. The assorted spices included multiple brands of basil, black pepper, chili powder, coriander, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, oregano, paprika, saffron, sesame seed, thyme, turmeric and white pepper. While none of the bottles tested positive for mercury or salmonella, several bottles had concerning levels of heavy metals.Those findings may especially concern those who cook for young children. Asour sister publicationParentsreports, any amount of cadmium, lead or arsenic is toxic to childrens' brains. While it’s not feasible to eat a completely contaminant-free diet, those cooking for children may want to stick to the spices on this list that were free of heavy metals (more on that later).The investigation found that no one brand was immune from containing heavy metals—the brands tested included popular brands such as Spice Islands, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Badia, Walmart, Costco, Tone’s and McCormick, among others. Organic spices also tended to test positive at the same rate as typical herbs and spices.The spices could land in four categories, ranging from “no concern” to “high concern.” All of the thyme and oregano tested was worthy of at least “some concern” based ontheConsumer Reportsthresholds. Basil and ginger only had one brand in the “no concern” category—in both cases, the brand Simply Organic got the green light from investigators. (You can view the full list here.)The good news is that cooks can sub in fresh ingredients for those four dried spices—just pick up an herb plant from your local store to replace some of that thyme, oregano or basil flavor in your next herbaceous recipe. And you can typically find fresh ginger in the produce section at the grocery store. (You could evenmake a project out of drying those herbs yourself!)Certain herbs and spices are critical to enjoying your favorite foods—think about the delicious pinch of oregano in your carnitas rub or the coriander inyour favorite masala spice blend. Just aim for spice brands that scored well duringConsumer Reports' investigation, like Simply Organic and Penzeys, to stay on the safer side.Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
It’s no secret that some spices can have serious health benefits (and turn a flavorless meal into something to write home about). We love theanti-inflammatory power of turmericand the blast of flavor that a sprinkle of chili powder or garlic powder offers—buta new investigation fromConsumer Reportsis making us think twice about the spices we use each day.Consumer Reportstested bottles of 126 dried herbs and spices for the presence of arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and salmonella. The assorted spices included multiple brands of basil, black pepper, chili powder, coriander, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, oregano, paprika, saffron, sesame seed, thyme, turmeric and white pepper. While none of the bottles tested positive for mercury or salmonella, several bottles had concerning levels of heavy metals.Those findings may especially concern those who cook for young children. Asour sister publicationParentsreports, any amount of cadmium, lead or arsenic is toxic to childrens' brains. While it’s not feasible to eat a completely contaminant-free diet, those cooking for children may want to stick to the spices on this list that were free of heavy metals (more on that later).The investigation found that no one brand was immune from containing heavy metals—the brands tested included popular brands such as Spice Islands, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Badia, Walmart, Costco, Tone’s and McCormick, among others. Organic spices also tended to test positive at the same rate as typical herbs and spices.The spices could land in four categories, ranging from “no concern” to “high concern.” All of the thyme and oregano tested was worthy of at least “some concern” based ontheConsumer Reportsthresholds. Basil and ginger only had one brand in the “no concern” category—in both cases, the brand Simply Organic got the green light from investigators. (You can view the full list here.)The good news is that cooks can sub in fresh ingredients for those four dried spices—just pick up an herb plant from your local store to replace some of that thyme, oregano or basil flavor in your next herbaceous recipe. And you can typically find fresh ginger in the produce section at the grocery store. (You could evenmake a project out of drying those herbs yourself!)Certain herbs and spices are critical to enjoying your favorite foods—think about the delicious pinch of oregano in your carnitas rub or the coriander inyour favorite masala spice blend. Just aim for spice brands that scored well duringConsumer Reports' investigation, like Simply Organic and Penzeys, to stay on the safer side.
It’s no secret that some spices can have serious health benefits (and turn a flavorless meal into something to write home about). We love theanti-inflammatory power of turmericand the blast of flavor that a sprinkle of chili powder or garlic powder offers—buta new investigation fromConsumer Reportsis making us think twice about the spices we use each day.
Consumer Reportstested bottles of 126 dried herbs and spices for the presence of arsenic, lead, cadmium, mercury and salmonella. The assorted spices included multiple brands of basil, black pepper, chili powder, coriander, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, oregano, paprika, saffron, sesame seed, thyme, turmeric and white pepper. While none of the bottles tested positive for mercury or salmonella, several bottles had concerning levels of heavy metals.
Those findings may especially concern those who cook for young children. Asour sister publicationParentsreports, any amount of cadmium, lead or arsenic is toxic to childrens' brains. While it’s not feasible to eat a completely contaminant-free diet, those cooking for children may want to stick to the spices on this list that were free of heavy metals (more on that later).
The investigation found that no one brand was immune from containing heavy metals—the brands tested included popular brands such as Spice Islands, Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Badia, Walmart, Costco, Tone’s and McCormick, among others. Organic spices also tended to test positive at the same rate as typical herbs and spices.
The spices could land in four categories, ranging from “no concern” to “high concern.” All of the thyme and oregano tested was worthy of at least “some concern” based ontheConsumer Reportsthresholds. Basil and ginger only had one brand in the “no concern” category—in both cases, the brand Simply Organic got the green light from investigators. (You can view the full list here.)
The good news is that cooks can sub in fresh ingredients for those four dried spices—just pick up an herb plant from your local store to replace some of that thyme, oregano or basil flavor in your next herbaceous recipe. And you can typically find fresh ginger in the produce section at the grocery store. (You could evenmake a project out of drying those herbs yourself!)
Certain herbs and spices are critical to enjoying your favorite foods—think about the delicious pinch of oregano in your carnitas rub or the coriander inyour favorite masala spice blend. Just aim for spice brands that scored well duringConsumer Reports' investigation, like Simply Organic and Penzeys, to stay on the safer side.
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