Bakeries could soon be getting unannounced visits from agents of the food authorities Fødevarstyrelsen, to check if they are putting too much cheap cinnamon, which tends to be filled with coumarin or other unwanted ingredients, into baked cinnamon rolls (kanelsnegle).
EU regulations sets limits on how much coumarin bakers may use.
Could be harmful
While some bakers see the new rules as a witch hunt, food scientist Mette Christiansen from Fødevarstyrelsen said there is a good reason that limits have been put on the use of the substitute.
“Cinnamon contains coumarin, a natural flavouring, but it is also a substance that can be harmful to the liver if you get too much of it,” she told DR Nyheder.
Bakers warn that using cinnamon containing smaller percentages of coumarin could wind up costing consumers more.
Cinnamon round up
The food authorities will visit 300 bakeries between March to May to check whether they are using the right type of cinnamon.
Fødevarstyrelsen mostly distinguishes between two types of cinnamon: the less expensive cassia cinnamon, and the so-called true cinnamon, also known as Ceylon cinnamon.
READ MORE: Cinnamon rolls under threat from EU legislation
The coumarin level is much higher in cassia cinnamon than in Ceylon cinnamon, so it is the only type that the authorities are looking to limit.
