When one buys a product, they’re generally confident that what’s on the label is going to match the product inside.
However, this isn’t always the case. For example, some shoppers have found that what they believed to be ice cream was actually “frozen dairy dessert.” Others have noted deceptive weight measurements on packaging.
Still, customers trust that the actual content of the package is the same as what they’re expecting. But as one internet user recently revealed, there could be more in your food than you might know.
What’s wrong with black pepper?
In a video posted to Instagram, user Warren Phillips (@nontoxicdad) explains why he believes “you should stop putting black pepper on everything.”
“First, black pepper can be one of the most contaminated herbs and spices when it comes to heavy metals like lead and cadmium,” he starts.
“Second, black and white pepper are some of the most adulterated spices you can buy. Some sources stating up to 70% depending on the country of origin,” he continues. “Meaning someone in the supply chain is mixing in less expensive ingredients into your pepper like corn, bran, and wheat flour, even sawdust.”
He claims that manufacturers sometimes mix raw peppercorns with papaya seeds to deceive customers. This decision, he says, is motivated by profit.
“So what do I do? I only buy whole peppercorns from companies that are established, organic, that do third-party testing, and that test the raw materials to make sure that it’s really pepper,” he states. “And I would never buy generic brands or stuff from the dollar store. This stuff has a much higher chance of being contaminated with heavy metals and adulterated with who knows what.”
To close, he notes that he only uses black pepper sparingly and not on eggs. But are his claims really true? The Daily Dot investigates.
Does black pepper really contain heavy metals?
To better understand Phillips’ claims, one must go through them one by one.
First, one should address Phillips’ claim that black pepper is “one of the most contaminated herbs and spices when it comes to heavy metals like lead and cadmium.”
On his website, he says this information comes from a 2023 study out of South Africa that looked at heavy metals and human health risks in certain spices.
However, this study measured products purchased in South Africa. It’s important to look at studies performed in other countries to verify whether this information is applicable globally.
Looking at a 2021 study from Consumer Reports, it appears that there is some concern about heavy metal contamination in spices.
The study looked at 126 individual products from national and private-label brands—not only black pepper but other spices, too. They found that “roughly one-third of the tested products, 40 in total, had high enough levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium combined, on average, to pose a health concern for children when regularly consumed in typical serving sizes,” writes Lisa L. Gill.
Is organic black pepper better?
Phillips advises one to look to established, “organic” brands to ensure that their black pepper isn’t contaminated. However, the study found that these labels were not a good predictor of whether a product had been contaminated.
“There was no single predictor of which products contained higher levels of heavy metals—for example, brand name didn’t matter, and neither did ‘organic’ or ‘packed in USA’ claims,” Gill states.
Interestingly, while Phillips shows a picture of McCormick Pure Ground Black Pepper while describing products he would “never buy,” Consumer Reports stated that McCormick says they do, in fact, specifically test their manufacturing plants for heavy metals.
“Costco, Litehouse, and McCormick said their goal is to have heavy metals as close to zero as possible, but no company provided the thresholds they consider acceptable,” writes Gill.
Finally, Gill notes that while heavy metal contamination was found in black and white pepper, it was generally lower than other spices, like basil, oregano, and thyme.
Is black pepper really 70% adulterated?
Returning to Phillips’ website, he again states that “up to 70% of black and white pepper on the market may be mixed with unwanted fillers such as corn, bran, or sawdust.” He provides no source for this claim.
In fact, there appears to be no specific study or outlet claiming that up to 70% of black and white pepper on the market is adulterated.
Phillips may be referring to a 2013 report out of India that found that 60% to 65% of pepper seized from several warehouses were found to contain mineral oil. However, much like the South African study he cited, it’s important to look at other studies globally to ensure that this is not a localized issue.
A 2023 study out of the European Union found that 17% of pepper samples were adulterated with detectable amounts of rice starch, buckwheat, cereals, and mustard seeds.
As for Phillips’ claim that “raw whole peppercorns like this are often mixed with papaya seeds,” it does appear that this has been found in the past. However, there is no credible evidence to suggest that this occurs often in products sold in the United States.
Are dollar store spices more dangerous?
There is also no direct evidence to suggest that spices sold at the dollar store are more likely to be adulterated.
However, ground cinnamon sold at discount retailers like Dollar Tree was recalled in March 2024 due to high levels of lead, per AP News. The FDA conducted a targeted survey of discount store cinnamon after a highly concentrated lead contamination of cinnamon-flavored fruit pouches in late 2023.
“FDA officials have raised the prospect that the contamination was intentional. One possibility is that the cinnamon was contaminated for economic reasons, the agency said. That could mean an ingredient such as lead may have been added to boost the value of the cinnamon,” Jonel Aleccia reported for AP.
‘Everything is toxic.’
In the comments section, users expressed their frustration with the claims made by Phillips.
“So…. Maybe we should start practicing not eating, breathing or living,” wrote a user. “Everything is toxic.”
“Please, give us the specific brand solutions after you’ve overwhelmed us with the problem. and if you’re using Pure peppercorns, why are you still needing to use it sparingly?” questioned another. “I really am honestly wanting to know. What is the brand that you use and what is the harm and having pepper if it’s a good brand?”
“This is just ridiculous at this point,” declared a third. “Everything’s [expletive] bad for you so you might as well pick your poison and live life while you can.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Phillips via email.
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