News

Danish Might Soon Say Goodbye to the Cinnamon Roll

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Dec 26, 2013 12:02 PM EST

The popular Danish pastry, kanelsnegle, also known as cinnamon swirl, might soon disappear from the shelves of bakeries and homes throughout the country. According to a recent testing conducted by the Danish government, the kanelsnegle might be too unhealthy, making it illegal based on European law. The officials found that this delightful pastry contains levels of cinnamon that surpass the recommended limits set by the European Union.

"We must recognize that to get a cinnamon roll ... to taste like cinnamon, we have to use more than the very small amounts allowed, or it's the end of the cinnamon roll as we know it," Hardy Christensen, the head of the Danish Baker's Association, said according to NPR.

Despite how common cinnamon is for baking, too much cinnamon could become a health risk. In cinnamon, particular Cassia cinnamon, which is the most common type of cinnamon sold in Europe and the United States, there is an ingredient called coumarin. Coumarin is a naturally occurring ingredient found in this spice and experts have tied extremely high doses of this particular ingredient to causing liver damage in a group of sensitive people. Due to this health risk, the European Union had created the limit in 2008. Based on the Union's recommendations, food using Cassia cinnamon should only contain five to 50 milligrams of the ingredient per every kilogram of food.

Despite this recommendation, certain foods, especially holiday goodies, are made with levels of cinnamon that surpass the limit. The Danish Food Administration recently conducted a survey that found that nearly 50 percent of the fine baked goods in Denmark contain levels that are above the recommended amount. However, now, the food authorities are asking bakers to cut down on their use of cinnamon in their sweets.

With a possible European Union ban on the cinnamon rolls, this could be the last set of kanelsnegle eaten this holiday season.

"Cinnamon rolls are of course a traditional Danish baked product. We've been making bread and cakes with cinnamon for 200 years," Christensen added according to the Telegraph. "It's the end of the cinnamon roll as we know it."

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics