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Some "Vanilla Extract" Produced in Mexico is No Bargain

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Cover page of PDF version of this article, including photo of a pair of two liter plastic bottles in a grocery store with dark brown liquid containing coumarin, a tonca bean extract related to warfarin, but falsely labelled Pure Vanilla.

En Español

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Tourists tempted to pick up bargains south of the border should beware of one bargain that isn't a good buy—a so-called "vanilla" flavoring or extract that isn’t vanilla flavoring or extract at all, but instead is made from a completely different plant material that contains coumarin. Coumarin is a substance with potential toxic side effects banned from food in the United States.

This flavoring product may smell like vanilla extract, taste like vanilla extract, and be offered at a cheap price, but it could present a significant risk to some people’s health.

Pure vanilla flavoring and extract are made with the extract of beans from the vanilla plant, a type of orchid that grows as a vine. The product containing coumarin is made from the extract of beans from the tonka tree, an entirely different plant that belongs to the pea family. Tonka bean extract contains coumarin, a compound related to warfarin, which is in some blood-thinning medications. Eating food containing coumarin may be especially risky for people taking blood-thinning drugs because the interaction of coumarin and blood thinners can increase the likelihood of bleeding.

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Coumarin Banned in Food

Coumarin is banned from food products sold in the United States. Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) occasionally has found tonka bean extract products containing coumarin in some ethnic food stores and Mexican restaurants in the United States.

These products often are labeled in Spanish "Extracto de vainilla" or "Vainilla." If these products contain tonka beans rather than vanilla beans, they have been imported illegally into the United States, and FDA advises consumers not to purchase or use these products.

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Standards for Vanilla

FDA standards specify that only vanilla beans can be used to make vanilla flavorings and extracts for use in food products sold in the United States. Vanilla-like flavorings that don't meet the standard must be labeled as "imitation" vanilla and must be made from safe ingredients that are permitted for that use.

FDA does not allow tonka bean extract even in imitation vanilla. Because they contain coumarin, tonka beans do not meet the food safety requirements for sale in the United States under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

FDA’s import alert on these products is designed to ensure that if coumarin-containing products labeled as vanilla flavoring or extract are shipped through regular commercial channels, FDA and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will stop them at the border.

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Real Vanilla Extract and Flavoring Do Not Contain Coumarin

Real vanilla extract and flavoring products produced in Mexico or other countries and legally imported into the United States should not contain coumarin and should be safe for use in foods.

Vanilla extract and vanilla flavorings are subject to FDA standards of identity regulations that prescribe how the products are made and their common or usual names. The common or usual name of vanilla extract is "vanilla extract" and should not include the name of the country that is the source of the beans or of the final product. However, if the vanilla extract is imported, the label must declare, separate from the name of the food, the country of origin of the food (for example, "Product of Mexico").

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Tips for Consumers

This article appears on FDA's Consumer Health Information Web page (www.fda.gov/consumer), which features the latest updates on FDA-regulated products. Sign up for free e-mail subscriptions at www.fda.gov/consumer/consumerenews.html.

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For More Information

Import Alert on Coumarin in Vanilla Products
www.fda.gov/ora/fiars/ora_import_ia2807.html

Know Before You Go: Rules for Bringing Items Back From Your Trip
www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/

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Updated: March 26, 2009

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