Beware of cinnamon you buy, warns activist

MANGALURU: Cinnamon that you buy from the market may not be original, warns Leonold John, who is instrumental in making Kerala High Court direct the state government to check the matter. 

John, who has launched a legal battle and commenced a campaign against the unethical marketing, says that most of the cinnamon brands available in the market contain cassia. He also warns people not to use cassia, which very similar in colour, shape and taste, as it would cause cancer and several other health hazards. 

John, who owns 45 acres of cinnamon plantation in Kannur district of Kerala, urged Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah to ban the sale of cassia as cinnamon. He also urged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to take note of the rampant sale of cassia in the name of cinnamon in India. 

He told reporters here on Tuesday that his fight will continue despite the fact he has been getting threatening calls from various places including Bengaluru. "Millions of Indians are being cheated by buying cassia instead of true cinnamon. FSSAI in its website says that cassia contains high quantity of coumarin and it causes kidney and liver damages. Further, it is carcinogenic too. Hence, all states should ban the sale of cassia in the interest of public health. Moreover, it affects the sale of original cinnamon and farmers who grow it too," John said. 

In September, the Kerala High Court has directed the state government to inform the court whether it had taken any step to prohibit the sale of cassia, which is allegedly sold in the state as cinnamon. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has already banned the sale of cassia, John said. 

Those companies sell cassia as cinnamon are cheating people and earning crores, he said. "Though cassia is not grown in India, it is being imported from China, Indonesia and Vietnam. While the price of cassia is just Rs 60 per kg, it is being sold at Rs 400 per kg with a label mentioning it as cinnamon. Only a thorough lab analysis can differentiate cassia and cinnamon. An average of 4 lakh kg of cassia is being sold as cinnamon in India," he added.