Brussels says that two thirds of what is sold in Europe has problems

In 2022, the European Commission did a study about the most popular spices on the market. The x-ray was devastating: fraud was the order of the day. Furthermore, it was extremely common. We are talking about pepper, cumin, turmeric, saffron or paprika.

That was a huge scandal and the Commission itself asked the Member States to strengthen controls. What happened next cannot surprise anyone.

Let’s talk about cinnamon. In 2023, cinnamon was the fifth most imported spice in the Union. In September 2025, the Commission’s science and knowledge service (the Joint Research Center) analyzed more than a hundred samples of cinnamon marketed in a dozen countries of the European Union.

The result? More than 66% of the samples analyzed They have problems.

What happens to them? Well, they either violate international quality regulations or the food safety legislation of the European Union. Some show signs of fraud, others a high amount of lead and some more exceed the legal limits of coumarin (a substance that, although natural, is potentially toxic to the liver).

That’s without counting fraud, of course. Up to 9% of samples labeled as Ceylon cinnamon were totally or partially replaced for Cassia cinnamon, “a cheaper and lower quality alternative, with a stronger flavor and containing coumarin naturally.”

What we can do. That’s the worst. Judging by the results of the JRC, we can do little with the means we have right now. “The type of irregularities detected in cinnamon, including fraudulent practices, is diverse and cannot be addressed with a single analytical technique, which is why standardized methods are needed,” says the Commission.

Taking the problem seriously would entail taking action on the matter.

Above all, because the high rate of irregular cinnamon samples on the European market indicates that “all actors in the sector, from policy makers to control laboratories and manufacturers, must pay attention.”

A version of this article was published in 2025

Image | Michael Collett

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