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UNC Greensboro

Anise seed comes from a flowering plant that is native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia. Anise seed has a similar flavor to star anise (unrelated to anise seed), fennel, and licorice. It is widely cultivated and used to flavor food.

Recalls & Warnings

4/26/17 – CAG has discovered Spice Products specifically Ground Anise (“Ground Anise”) containing Lead. An exemplar of the violations caused by Ground Anise includes but is not limited to: “Sadaf’; “Stay Fresh Resealable Bag”; “Ground Anise Seeds”; “Anis Vert Moulu”; Quality You Can Trust”; “Net Wt/Poids Net 4 oz (113g)”; “www.Sadaf.comô€€Œ’; “Sadaf Foods”; 052851110087.

Additional Information

Samples of Anise seed found in North Carolina homes had an average lead level of 1.7mg/kg of lead, values ranged from 0.3-4.4mg/kg (North Carolina Home Investigation Study 2011-2018).

Resources

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6746a2.htm