Class Action Lawsuit Filed Over Elevated Lead Levels in Recalled Dollar Tree Ground Cinnamon
Bell v. Greenbrier International, Inc. et al.
Filed: May 9, 2024 ◆§ 1:24-cv-03559
Dollar Tree faces a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon sold by the discount retailer was contaminated with lead.
New York
Dollar Tree faces a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon sold by the discount retailer was, unbeknownst to consumers, contaminated with lead.
Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.
The 20-page lawsuit was filed in New York against Greenbrier International, which does business as Dollar Tree, and New Jersey-based Colonna Brothers, a maker of cheese, spices and other food items. The complaint accuses Colonna Brothers of egregiously violating the trust of consumers by placing ground cinnamon contaminated with lead into the stream of commerce, a failing for which Dollar Tree, the case claims, shares responsibility.
“Defendants represent that the Product is safe to ingest,” the suit says. “In reality, the Product contains lead and is therefore toxic and harmful.”
The class action lawsuit was filed in the wake of an FDA investigation earlier this year in which the agency conducted a targeted lead analysis survey of 75 ground cinnamon product samples after certain cinnamon apple puree and applesauce products were pulled from shelves last fall due to elevated lead levels in the cinnamon found in the items. According to the case, lead levels in those products contributed to lead poisoning in children.
On March 6, 2024, the FDA, based on the results of its study, issued a safety alert advising the public to not buy or consume certain ground cinnamon products, including Dollar Tree’s Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon, because samples of the items were found to contain elevated lead levels, the filing shares.
“This testing revealed lead concentration of between 2.03 and 3.37 parts per million in the Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon Product. In contrast, proposed FDA action levels for lead contamination range from 10 to 20 parts per billion—hundreds of times less than the levels found in the Product. Based on these clear findings that the products were adulterated with lead, the FDA issued a safety alert and recommended a voluntary recall of the Product and five other brands of cinnamon each containing elevated lead levels.”
That same day, Colonna Brothers announced a voluntary recall of Marcum Ground Cinnamon and Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon products. In the press release, the company acknowledged the dangers of lead to the human body, the case notes.
The complaint stresses that lead is a highly toxic metal that has severely deleterious effects on the human body. Lead exposure can cause convulsions, coma or death; in children, lead can cause permanent brain development problems, among other harms.
“No level of lead is ‘normal’ in the human body,” the case reads. “Lead is not used in any biological processes in the body, and it is toxic at any level of exposure.”
The Dollar Tree lawsuit adds that the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits the introduction of any food, drug, or cosmetic that is adulterated or misbranded into interstate commerce.
The case looks to cover all persons who, during the fullest period allowed by law, bought Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon for personal use and not for resale in the United States.
Are you owed unclaimed settlement money? Check out our class action rebates page full of open class action settlements.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuits
Women who developed ovarian or uterine cancer after using hair relaxers such as Dark & Lovely and Motions may now have an opportunity to take legal action.
Read more here: Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuits
How Do I Join a Class Action Lawsuit?
Did you know there's usually nothing you need to do to join, sign up for, or add your name to new class action lawsuits when they're initially filed?
Read more here: How Do I Join a Class Action Lawsuit?
Stay Current
Sign Up For
Our Newsletter
New cases and investigations, settlement deadlines, and news straight to your inbox.
Before commenting, please review our comment policy.