The class-action lawsuit against Greenbrier International, Inc. (operating as Dollar Tree) and Colonna Brothers, Inc. is a yet another example of corporate negligence and the systemic failures of accountability under modern capitalism.

At the heart of this case lies Dollar Tree’s Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon—a product found to contain alarmingly high levels of lead, a toxic heavy metal with no safe level of exposure.

This article will explore the profound health, economic, and social harms caused by this scandal while emphasizing the urgent need for corporate accountability and regulatory reform.


Lead in a Household Staple

In March 2024, the FDA issued a safety alert after discovering that Dollar Tree’s Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon contained lead concentrations between 2.03 and 3.37 parts per million (ppm), hundreds of times higher than the FDA’s proposed action levels for lead contamination in food.

Despite these findings, Dollar Tree and Colonna Brothers delayed informing consumers, continuing to sell the product nationwide until forced to issue a recall.

Lead is a well-documented neurotoxin that poses severe risks to human health, particularly to children.


The Health Impacts of Lead Exposure

Lead exposure is one of the most insidious public health threats because its effects are often irreversible:

  • Children: Lead can cause permanent damage to brain development, leading to reduced IQ, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and developmental delays. Children are especially vulnerable because their bodies absorb lead more readily than adults.
  • Adults: Chronic exposure to lead is linked to kidney dysfunction, hypertension, memory loss, and neurocognitive decline. Pregnant women exposed to lead face additional risks, including miscarriage and harm to fetal development.
  • Long-Term Consequences: Even low levels of lead exposure can accumulate over time, causing cumulative damage to multiple organ systems.

The harms caused by Dollar Tree’s contaminated cinnamon are not hypothetical. Families who unknowingly consumed this product may now face years of medical challenges and financial strain as they deal with the consequences of lead poisoning.


Exploiting Vulnerable Consumers

The economic impact of this scandal cannot be overstated. Dollar Tree primarily serves low-income communities where residents often rely on discount retailers for affordable groceries.

By selling a toxic product like lead-contaminated cinnamon, Dollar Tree has further marginalized these already vulnerable populations:

  1. Medical Costs: Families exposed to lead may face significant healthcare expenses for testing, treatment, and ongoing medical care.
  2. Lost Productivity: Cognitive impairments caused by lead poisoning can limit educational attainment and job opportunities for affected individuals, perpetuating cycles of poverty.
  3. Erosion of Consumer Trust: Shoppers rely on retailers like Dollar Tree to provide safe products at affordable prices. This breach of trust undermines consumer confidence in the safety of everyday goods.

Corporate Accountability Under Neoliberal Capitalism

This case exemplifies how neoliberal capitalism incentivizes corporations to prioritize profits over public welfare. Dollar Tree’s actions reveal systemic issues that extend far beyond one defective product:

  • Negligence in Quality Control: Colonna Brothers failed to implement adequate safety measures to prevent lead contamination during manufacturing. As the brand owner, Dollar Tree shares responsibility for ensuring that its products meet safety standards.
  • Delayed Transparency: Despite knowing about the FDA’s findings, both companies delayed notifying consumers or recalling the product promptly. This allowed more families to be exposed to harmful levels of lead.
  • Profit Over Safety: By cutting corners on quality control and regulatory compliance, Dollar Tree and Colonna Brothers prioritized cost savings over consumer health—a hallmark of corporate greed under neoliberal capitalism.

A Broken System

The Supreme Tradition cinnamon scandal also highlights critical gaps in regulatory oversight:

  1. Underfunded Agencies: Regulatory bodies like the FDA often lack the resources needed to monitor widespread violations effectively. This allows corporations to exploit loopholes with minimal risk of enforcement.
  2. Weak Penalties: Financial penalties for food safety violations are often too small to deter misconduct. For large corporations like Dollar Tree, fines become merely another cost of doing business.
  3. Lack of Transparency: Current regulations do not require companies to disclose potential risks promptly, leaving consumers in the dark about harmful products.

These systemic failures enable corporations to operate with impunity while externalizing the costs of their negligence onto society.


The Role of Corporate Ethics

Dollar Tree’s handling of this crisis raises serious questions about corporate ethics in today’s economy:

  • Deceptive Practices: By marketing Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon as safe for consumption despite its contamination with lead, Dollar Tree engaged in deceptive practices that violated consumer trust.
  • Failure to Act: The delayed recall demonstrates a lack of urgency in addressing public health risks—a clear failure of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
  • Token CSR Initiatives: Many corporations use CSR as a marketing tool rather than a genuine commitment to ethical practices. This case underscores the need for businesses to adopt meaningful CSR policies that prioritize consumer safety over profit margins.

Demanding Accountability

To prevent future scandals like this one, systemic changes are urgently needed:

  1. Stronger Regulations: Governments must impose stricter safety standards for consumer goods and provide regulatory agencies with adequate funding to enforce them effectively.
  2. Transparency Requirements: Corporations should be legally required to disclose potential risks associated with their products immediately upon discovery.
  3. Severe Penalties: Financial penalties for violations must be substantial enough to deter misconduct rather than being dismissed as a “cost of doing business.”
  4. Consumer Advocacy: Grassroots movements must push for greater transparency and accountability from corporations while advocating for stronger consumer protections.

Conclusion

The lead contamination scandal involving Dollar Tree’s Supreme Tradition Ground Cinnamon is more than just an isolated incident of corporate oopsy-poopsy—it is a damning indictment of corporate greed and systemic failures under neoliberal capitalism.

By prioritizing profits over public welfare, Dollar Tree and Colonna Brothers have caused untold harm to vulnerable communities while eroding trust in food safety standards.

As consumers and citizens, we must demand better from both corporations and regulators. The health and well-being of our communities depend on holding businesses accountable for their actions and creating an economic system that values people over profits.

This case should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers, businesses, and society at large: it’s time to put an end to corporate impunity and build an economy rooted in ethical practices and social responsibility.


It isn’t just applesauce. Arsenic has also been found in apple juice:

Lead was also found in chocolate:


additional reading:

[1] https://www.fda.gov/food/outbreaks-foodborne-illness/investigation-elevated-lead-chromium-levels-cinnamon-applesauce-pouches-november-2023

[2] https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/dollar-tree-inc-674301-06112024

[3] https://www.fda.gov/food/hfp-constituent-updates/fda-takes-additional-steps-following-investigation-elevated-lead-and-chromium-levels-apple-cinnamon

[4] https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/recalled-lead-tainted-applesauce-pouches-stayed-on-dollar-tree-shelves-for-weeks-fda-says

[5] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-warns-dollar-tree-for-failing-to-pull-poisoned-applesauce-for-months/

[7] the attached PDF!

[8] https://evilcorporations.org/category/product-safety-violations/