U.S. Food and Drug Administration Warns 19 Cookware Brands Can Leach Lead Into Your Food
All of the cookware has been manufactured outside of the U.S.
Published Dec. 2 2025, 7:38 p.m. ET
Identifying the safest cookware to use in your home that is free of forever chemicals, as well as other toxic additives, is a job unto itself. When brands deceive consumers about the trustworthiness of their products, which can contain lead and other toxins, consumer health suffers greatly.
In the latest news that should make consumers think twice before believing bold marketing claims from cookware companies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has published a list of toxic brands to avoid.
Is the cookware in your kitchen right now on the list of the FDA's brands that contain lead that can leach into your family's food? Is your foreign-made cookware, marketed as safe and nontoxic, anything but?
Below, we report on the FDA's list of 19 cookware brands that contain lead that can leach into your food. Continue reading to learn all about the report, which brands you should think twice about before purchasing from, and what to do if you possess any of the offending cookware brands.
The FDA tested these cookware brands and found they could leach lead into your food:
According to a damning report in CBS News, the FDA has warned consumers regarding 19 types of cookware that may contain lead, which could potentially leach the toxic metal into your family's food. Indeed, according to the safety advisory on the FDA website, "There are no FDA regulations that authorize lead for use as a color additive or food additive (including as a component of foodware, cookware, or food contact surfaces)."
Yet, several brands contain lead in their cookware products.
The following products were tested by the FDA and were assessed to leach lead into food:
- Sonex aluminum pot (Manufacturer: Sonex Cookware)
- IKM aluminum saucepan, size 2 with a 9" wooden handle (Manufacturer: JSM Foods)
- IKM 4-quarter pital brass pot (Manufacturer: JSM Foods)
- Brass tope (Manufacturer: Kraftwares)
- Aluminum kadai size 5 (Distributor: Lotus Mom)
- Silver Horse aluminum caldero 28
- Silver Horse aluminum degda 24
- Silver Horse aluminum degda 20
- Silver Horse kadai 26
- Silver Horse aluminum milk pan 4
Additional products tested by the FDA and believed to potentially leach lead into food include:
- Chef Milk pan, 24 centimeters (Distributor: Shata Traders)
- Aluminum hammered kadai, size 7 (Distributor: Indian Cookware & Appliance)
- Brass pot (sold at Santos Agency)
- Dolphin brand aluminum saucepan
- 2- and 3-quart aluminum saucepans (Distributor: Win Chong Trading Corp.)
- Royal Kitchen cookware, milk pan size 3 (Distributor: New Reliance Traders)
- Tiger White kadai
- JK Vallabhdas aluminum kadai (Grain Market)
Cookware containing lead contamination has been subject to an FDA recall.
If you have referenced the list above and believe that you possess any of the tainted products in your home, the FDA recommends throwing away any cookware that can leach lead into food. Additionally, the FDA recommends that you not attempt to refurbish or donate cookware that has been shown to potentially leach lead into food.
Retailers and distributors should remove these products from their inventory. "Questions for [the] FDA related to this topic can be sent to premarkt@fda.hhs.gov."