7 Foods You Didn't Know Have Lead in Them

Lead, a naturally occurring toxic element found in the earth’s soil, can have serious health consequences with even minimal exposure. According to the World Health Organization, this potent neurotoxin wreaks havoc on the body, causing everything from developmental delays and cognitive impairments in children to kidney damage and hypertension in adults.

You wouldn't expect to find something so dangerous on your dinner plate, but surprisingly, lead is sneaking into some of the foods we eat daily. Here are seven foods that contain dangerous levels of lead.

Root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, turnips, and radishes naturally absorb whatever is in the soil, including lead. Recent research conducted in Milwaukee shows that backyard vegetable gardens near old houses coated with lead paint contained high lead levels in their soil. 

The study found that vegetables grown in the soil, like carrots, had drastically higher levels of lead compared to those that grew above ground, like tomatoes. So, if you're growing your own veggies, consider testing your soil or using commercial soil to ensure your produce remains lead-free and safe to eat. 

One might think that a product advertised for infants and young children would be safe to eat. Alas, it's shocking how much food marketed to kids contains lead. A 2019 study by Healthy Babies Bright Futures found that 95% of tested baby foods contained toxic metals, including lead. Baby foods commonly found to contain lead include rice-based products like infant rice cereals, purees of root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots, fruit juices, and certain teething biscuits and snacks. 

In 2023, the FDA recalled cinnamon-flavored applesauce pouches from brands like WanaBana, Schnucks, and Weis after detecting lead levels over 5,000 parts per million — more than 2,000 times higher than proposed standards.  

Imported candy, especially Mexican-style varieties with chili powder or tamarind pulp, often contain more lead than you'd think. The FDA recommends a maximum of 0.1 parts per million (ppm) of lead in candy, but many imported types exceed this limit. The lead usually comes from things like lead-based ink used on the packaging or from ingredients grown in contaminated soil.

Spices like turmeric, paprika, and chili powder can contain lead, sometimes at alarming levels. A lot of this contamination comes from poor farming practices, where spices are grown in lead-contaminated soil or deliberately adulterated to enhance color and weight. For example, lead chromate, a bright yellow pigment, is sometimes added to turmeric to boost its color. The FDA has found that imported spices, especially from countries with lax regulations, frequently exceed recommended safety levels for lead. 

These so-called healthy snacks we all pretend are better than candy might not be as guilt-free as we thought. According to a 2021 study, dried fruits and vegetables — pineapples, apricots, mangoes, and seaweed — contain much higher lead levels than their fresh or frozen counterparts. This is because the process of drying removes water but concentrates any heavy metals present, making dried products a more significant source of lead exposure.

It turns out your muscle juice comes with a hidden dark secret. According to Harvard Health, many protein powders contain elevated levels of lead, as revealed in a study by the Clean Label Project. This contamination likely comes from manufacturing processes or from toxins in the soil that plants absorb, which then end up in the final product. The study also found other toxic elements like arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and BPA.

Many aged balsamic and red wine vinegars contain significant lead levels, mainly because of the production methods or heavy metals present in the soil where the grapes are grown. Aged vinegars, which are fermented in barrels for many years, tend to have higher concentrations compared to cheaper, less-aged varieties. 

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