Sugar and spice: not necessarily everything nice

Consumers often have to watch the news for product recalls that can affect them. But amid the motor vehicle and crib recalls, there is one that potentially could affect your health. Just recently, a recall was announced for turmeric sold in Target stores across the country, including the state of Florida.

Whenever there is a dangerous product in the marketplace, manufacturers of that dangerous product try to remove the product from the store shelves in order to decrease the risk of injury to consumers. But in many instances, individuals are still injured by defective and faulty products.

This particular spice recall affects the Archer Farms Ground Turmeric product. The recall was announced after it was discovered that there were elevated levels of lead in the spice. This particular product landed in stores in early summer of 2009. Consumers who have purchased turmeric from Target should check to make sure that their particular spice bottle is not a part of the recall.

According to the article, accumulated amounts of lead in the body can cause serious health problems. In some instances, individuals with certain levels of lead in the body can experience delayed development and learning disabilities. It can especially affect pregnant women and young children.

At this point, there have been no reports of consumers affected after using the recalled turmeric. But the adverse affects may not appear immediately after use of the product, especially if the spice is used in smaller amounts. It may take some time for the symptoms to appear.

Source: ABC Action News online, “Archer Farms Ground Turmeric recalled for excessive lead levels,” Wendy Ryan, 18 April 2011