It looks like they got contaminated cinnamon. Lead (II,IV) oxide (red lead) is a reddish-brown pigment which could have been used to adulterate the cinnamon to make it look better (hide imperfections since it's close to the color of high-quality cinnamon bark). Similar to how lead (II) chromate gets added to turmeric to hide imperfections. So I'd not rule out deliberate addition of red lead to allow selling a cheaper product.
Good point. I wasn't aware that cinnamon was used as an adulterant to improve cinnamon marketability
More like buying cheap cinnamon, and not checking for lead. Which is kind of the same thing.
Where did you get any evidence, or anything to go on at all really, that lead you to assume "accident" instead of "American cost-cutting"?
Because I didn't see anything to back up corporate-whoopsie in TFA.
Really? It occurred in multiple food packagers, suggesting a supply problem. Do you know how many American suppliers make cinnamon domestically? I believe that number is very close to zero.
It'd be cheaper to add nothing, or water, than lead.