Cinnamon recall and warnings south of the border prompt monitoring in Canada

In the wake of U.S. warnings about ground cinnamon products, Canada says it is monitoring the situation and doesn't believe any products are affected in the country.

In the wake of U.S. warnings about ground cinnamon products, Canada says it is monitoring the situation and doesn't believe any products are affected in the country.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted on its website Monday that U.S. company American Spices LLC is recalling its Spice Class Brand ground cinnamon due to potential contamination from "elevated levels of lead."

It added warnings about eight other brands of cinnamon products Tuesday, recommending the companies voluntarily recall them, and said no illnesses were reported so far.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says it is aware of the FDA's concerns about certain ground cinnamon products due to potential contamination from elevated levels of lead.

"The CFIA has been in contact with U.S. authorities and is monitoring the situation," the CFIA wrote in a statement to CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "The CFIA is not aware of any Canadian distribution of the recalled products."

The government agency said it will notify the public with more information and post warnings about products affected by recalls on its website. Consumers can also sign up for notifications about recalls.

Health Canada and the CFIA have surveillance programs to monitor chemical contaminants in food, including lead, the CFIA added.