FSAP Chem TS - 2014-15 Coumarin in cinnamon-containing foods and vanilla extracts - TS020 - Open Data

Targeted surveys provide information on potential food hazards and enhance the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA's) routine monitoring programs. These surveys provide evidence regarding the safety of the food supply, identify potential emerging hazards, and contribute new information and data to food categories where it may be limited or non-existent. They are often used by the Agency to focus surveillance on potential areas of higher risk. Surveys can also help to identify trends and provide information about how industry complies with Canadian regulations.

Coumarin is a natural compound found in plants such as cinnamon and tonka beans. Coumarin was utilized as a flavouring agent in the food and perfume industries for many years until evidence of toxicological properties and potential adverse effects on the liver led to its use in food to be discontinued. Low exposure to coumarin from natural sources is expected and not anticipated to represent a health risk. The CFIA considered it important to examine the coumarin levels in commonly available cinnamon-containing products and vanilla extracts to ensure that the populations consuming these foods more frequently are not being exposed to higher levels and are not at risk.

This 2014 to 2015 targeted survey on coumarin generated further baseline surveillance data on the concentration of coumarin in domestic and imported products on the Canadian market. Seven hundred and thirty-nine products were sampled and analyzed, including 148 cooking sauces, 38 dried beverage mixes, 239 cinnamon and vanilla oils and extracts, 104 spice mixes and 210 tea samples. Coumarin was detected in 63% of the samples, with levels ranging from 0.2 ppm to 2170 ppm. The highest levels were detected in spice mixes and tea samples. The average and maximum coumarin concentration in spice mixes, dried tea, and baked goods were comparable to previous targeted surveys. Comparison of the survey results to scientific literature showed that the levels of coumarin detected in Canadian retail products are similar to those reported in a variety of scientific studies.

Health Canada (HC) determined the levels of coumarin in food observed in this survey are not expected to pose a concern to human health, therefore there were no follow-up actions resulting from this survey.