The cinnamon in your kitchen probably isn’t ours

Most cinnamon sold around the world is cassia. Ceylon cinnamon is a different spice, and Europe now protects its name.

FoodThe Dosage12 October 2026

Pick up a jar labelled “cinnamon” in a supermarket in Melbourne, London or Dubai, and there’s a good chance it isn’t what grows in Sri Lanka. It’s usually cassia: a close relative, grown mostly in China, Vietnam and Indonesia, that is cheaper, stronger and darker.

Two spices, one name

Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) is peeled from the inner bark and rolled by hand into thin, papery layers, like a cigar. It’s light tan, crumbles easily, and tastes sweet and delicate. Cassia is a single thick, hard curl of bark: darker, harsher and spicier.

~100×more coumarin in cassia than in Ceylon cinnamon

6 mgsafe daily coumarin limit for a 60 kg adult

~2 gof the strongest cassia tested reaches that limit

2022the year the EU protected the name “Ceylon cinnamon”

Why it matters for your health

Cassia contains a natural compound called coumarin, which in large amounts can harm the liver. Europe’s food safety authority sets a tolerable limit of 0.1 mg per kilo of body weight per day, which is 6 mg for a 60 kg adult. Austria’s food agency measured cassia at 1,880 to 3,260 mg of coumarin per kilo, and the highest Ceylon sample at 185 mg. By our calculation, about 2 grams of the strongest cassia, less than a teaspoon, reaches the daily limit. You’d need more than 30 grams of Ceylon cinnamon to do the same.

Same name on the jar. A hundred times the coumarin.

A name worth protecting

In February 2022, the European Union recognised Ceylon cinnamon as a protected geographical indication, the first for any Sri Lankan product. Only cinnamon grown and processed here, the traditional way, can be sold in the EU under that name. Mexico, where cinnamon goes into churros, hot chocolate and café de olla, is another loyal buyer: cinnamon tops the list of what Sri Lanka sells there.

How to tell at home

Look for “Ceylon cinnamon” or Cinnamomum verum on the label. Check the sticks: many thin layers rolled together means Ceylon; one thick hollow tube means cassia. And if you’re in Sri Lanka, you’re already in the right place.

Sources: AGES, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety; UNIDO; Sri Lanka Export Development Board. This is general information, not medical advice.