Poppy Seeds: Nutrition, Drug Tests and the Unwashed Seed Risk

Poppy seeds are the tiny blue-gray or white seeds of the opium poppy, used on bagels, in muffins and in fillings. As a food they are a small but mineral-dense ingredient: a tablespoon adds about 46 calories and roughly a quarter of the Daily Value for manganese plus useful calcium and copper, according to USDA data. Two other facts matter more for most readers. Poppy seeds can carry traces of morphine and codeine, which is why they have been linked to positive drug screens, and seeds sold unwashed have caused overdoses and deaths when people brewed them into drinks. This guide covers the nutrition, the drug-test facts and the safety record.

Peptide Labs does not sell poppy seeds or poppy products. This article is general nutrition and safety information, not medical advice.

Poppy seed nutrition per tablespoon

The table uses the USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entry for poppy seed (FDC 171330). USDA lists a tablespoon as 8.8 grams. The percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values printed on Nutrition Facts labels, and the per-100-gram column helps compare seeds with each other.

Gram for gram, poppy seeds are one of the richest calcium sources in the USDA database, and they are packed with manganese and copper. The catch is portion size: people sprinkle them, so the amount eaten in a bagel topping or a slice of lemon poppy seed cake is small. Their fat is mostly polyunsaturated, almost all of it the omega-6 fat linoleic acid, with very little plant omega-3. If you want omega-3-rich seeds, see our guides to flaxseed and chia. For a broader view of dairy and plant calcium, see our list of foods high in calcium.

Why poppy seeds contain opiates at all

The opium poppy produces a milky latex in its seed pod that contains morphine, codeine and thebaine. The seeds themselves do not make these alkaloids, but during harvest the latex can coat the outside of the seeds. Seeds sold for baking are normally cleaned, which removes most of that residue. A 2023 case report in the American Journal of Case Reports explains the distinction: poppy seeds sold for baking and food products do not carry the alkaloids on their coats, while unwashed or unprocessed seeds can. Cleaning is not always complete, though, and alkaloid levels vary with the poppy variety, the harvest and the processing. That variability is the root of both the drug-test issue and the overdose cases.

Can poppy seeds make you fail a drug test?

This is the most common poppy seeds drug test question, and the honest answer is that it depends on the test. Urine opiate screens look for morphine and codeine, the same compounds that can ride along on poppy seeds. Federal rules changed because of exactly this problem.

• The 1998 federal change: a notice in the Federal Register on November 25, 1998 raised the opiate cutoff for federally regulated workplace testing from 300 to 2,000 nanograms per milliliter. Under the old cutoff, most lab-positive opiate results were later ruled negative by medical review officers, often because of prescribed codeine or poppy seed foods.
• Current federal cutoffs: federal regulations still set the codeine and morphine cutoff at 2,000 nanograms per milliliter. A separate marker, 6-acetylmorphine, is specific to heroin and is not produced by eating poppy seeds.
• Other programs differ: KFF Health News reported in 2024 that the Department of Defense warned in 2023 that eating poppy seeds can cause a positive codeine test, and the US Anti-Doping Agency has issued a similar warning to athletes. Private employers, courts, clinics and sports bodies may use different cutoffs.

If you face a test, tell the collector or the medical review officer about any recent poppy seed foods and any prescription medicines. A lab result is not the final word in regulated programs; a medical review officer looks at the whole picture. We cover a similar question for hemp products in does CBD show up on a drug test.

Unwashed poppy seeds: the real danger

The serious risk is not a bagel. It is unwashed poppy seeds, often sold online in bulk and marketed with hints about their effects, which some people soak to extract the opiates on purpose. The concentration in these drinks is unpredictable, and that unpredictability is what makes them deadly. We do not describe how these drinks are made, and nobody should try.

• Poison center data: a 2021 study in Clinical Toxicology by Greenthal and colleagues found 591 poppy-related exposure cases reported to US poison centers from 2000 to 2018, mostly intentional exposures in young men, with 18 overdoses and 3 deaths likely tied to poppy. FDA adverse event databases added 5 more deaths, and the authors counted at least 19 US deaths in the literature.
• Unpredictable strength: a 2026 study in the Journal of Medical Toxicology tested home-style brews made from three seed brands and found morphine and codeine levels that varied more than tenfold, some high enough to be clinically relevant.
• Dependence: case reports describe people who developed opioid use disorder from regular poppy seed drinks, including a 65-year-old man described in 2023 and a Mayo Clinic patient described by KFF Health News.
• Other alkaloids: in Australia, 40 people became seriously ill between November 2022 and January 2023 after drinking brews made from non-food-grade seeds high in thebaine. Toxicologists reported muscle spasms, convulsions, kidney injury, two cardiac arrests and one death.

In 2016, 24-year-old Stephen Hacala died after drinking a poppy seed brew; a medical examiner said the seeds very likely caused his death. The Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA in 2021 to limit opiate levels on poppy seeds and sued in 2024 over the delay, and bills named after Hacala were introduced in Congress. KFF Health News reported that the DEA considers opium residue on seeds a controlled substance and says unwashed seeds can kill. We could not confirm a final FDA decision on the petition. Combining poppy seed drinks with prescription opioids, alcohol or sedatives raises the danger further. If someone is drowsy, breathing slowly or cannot be woken, call 911; for questions, Poison Control is at 1-800-222-1222.

Are poppy seeds safe to eat?

For ordinary cooking and baking, poppy seeds are a common food used for centuries. Practical points drawn from the sources above:

• Choose poppy seeds sold as a culinary spice or baking ingredient from established grocers, not bulk “unwashed” or “unprocessed” seeds.
• Be cautious with anything marketed for relaxation, sleep or pain relief.
• If you are subject to drug testing, consider skipping poppy seed foods beforehand and disclose what you ate.
• Poppy seed is not one of the nine major food allergens under US law, but seed allergies exist; stop eating them and seek care if you have hives, swelling or trouble breathing.
• People in recovery from opioid use, and their families, should know that unwashed seeds are a recognized source of relapse; talk to your clinician if this applies to you.

Poppy seeds sit alongside other small seeds in our nutrition library, including pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and our sibling guide to basil seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Basil Seeds (Sabja Seeds): Nutrition, Benefits and Safety, Chia Seeds Benefits: Nutrition, Research and Side Effects, Foods High in Calcium: USDA List, Non-Dairy Sources and Absorption.