Cinnamon in market could be fake: FSSAI

The cinnamon that you are buying in the market may not be original. Adulterated with a similar looking spice “cassia”, which is entering the country from China, Indonesia and Vietnam, and the rampant sale of cassia in the name of cinnamon has the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India worried.

To ensure that consumers are not exploited, the food regulatory authority has come up with a guidance note prescribing new standards for “peppery” cassia and cinnamon which looks more like “cigarettes”.

Known locally as “taj”, cassia is imported in the form of different species such as Chinese cassia grown in China, Vietnam and Indonesian cassia from Sumantra and Java regions.

“Cassia is often misrepresented as cinnamon (dalchini) and marketed to consumers. Since the price of cassia is far below that of cinnamon, traders sometimes mislead consumers,” the food regulatory authority said.

Contrary to belief that it may be spreading cancer due to high content of coumarin in cassia, it is found to be safe.

In order to check that “cheap” cassia is not sold as “cinnamon” in the market or used as an adulterant in cinnamon, the FSSAI has prescribed new standards for cinnamon and cassia. “Cassia and cinnamon vary in chemical composition. Cassia contains higher levels of coumarin as compared to cinnamon,” the FSSAI guidance note said.

According to the standards by FSSAI, in cinnamon the inclusion of maximum permissible limit of coumarin content should not exceed more than 0.3 per cent by weight