Are European cinnamon roll pastries toxic?

Often the danger posed by a certain ingredient present in your food items depends on how frequently it is consumed over a period of time. Manufacturers may be reluctant to include information like this, but by making labels that are easier to read and understand, the potential headache that might come from these cautions could be eased. And it’s important, because toxins might crop up in unexpected places.

For example, most people could probably guess that eating too many calorie-rich cinnamon buns might not be healthy for the consumer. But in Denmark, the European Union has determined that this commonly seen pastry might damage the liver of the consumer if there’s too much cinnamon added. This stems from coumarin, a chemical found in the type of cinnamon employed in Danish pastries.

Authorities are cracking down on the way these pastries are made and sold, reportedly much to the chagrin of the Danish Baker’s Association. The Guardian quoted a member of that organization named Anders Grabow on the practical reality of this danger as the decision awaits a final ruling next month.

“The average adult Dane probably eats a pastry once or twice a week so the actual intake of cinnamon from cinnamon swirls for most Danes is very little,” Grabow pointed out. Although he did state that over consumption of cinnamon could be dangerous for children, he also said that “if a child that young eats that much pastry every day, they’re on the fast track to obesity and cinnamon is the least of their worries.”

In the midst of this contention, companies can research how to make a label that fits the product and leaves customers informed about potential health risks without spooking them.