Question 1

where is this from? where is it grown, and packaged? is it from china in any way? thanks!

Accepted Answer

The label says 2012 Frontier.  Norway, IA 52318 USA Certified Organic by QAI.   I looked it up on the Qai website and Frontier is only certified organic handler processor. If you go on their website Frontier coop which is where they sell spice and teas etc. You can do more sleuthing.  They source fair trade from all over the world. So the answer to your question could be yes but you should check out the website for yourself.

Question 2

What kind of cinnamon is used?

Accepted Answer

I have diabetes-2 and fatty liver disease.  To not increase my trouble, I maintain an awareness of foods that I eat that could affect my liver.  Cinnamon is one of those foods, and the job of figuring out what to do about cinnamon is complicated because the FDA has ignored the dangers faced by sensitive people who eat commercially prepared food.  What I have discovered is that I should not eat American commercial products with cinnamon.  That's because American food manufacturers add the cheapest and most dangerous cinnamon to their products.

There are hundreds of species of cinnamon, but only four species are commonly added to foods.  All species of cinnamon contain coumarin, a toxic natural chemical.  The four common species and their coumarin contents are:
1.  Species c. Verum:  commonly called Ceylon cinnamon, True cinnamon, and Mexican cinnamon.  The safest of cinnamons!
     Coumarin content:  0.017 g/kg.
2a.   Species c. Burmanii:  commonly called Indonesian, cinnamon, Korintje cinnamon, Padang cassia, and Batavia cassia.  Frontier uses this species.
        Coumarin content:  2.15 g/kg
2b.  Species c. Loureirol:  commonly called Saigon cinnamon, Vietnamese cassia, and Vietnamese cinnamon.  The worst species of choice, and my favorite -- so much flavor, and a good burning sensation.  But, avoid this species -- it can wreck your liver.
       Coumarin content:  6.97 g/kg
2c.  Species c. Cassia:  commonly called Cassia cinnamon and Chinese cinnamon.
       Coumarin content:  0.31 g/kg.
Note 1.  Species c. Verum (Indonesian) has the lowest concentration of coumarin, making it the safest to ingest.
Note 2.  This Frontier mixture product contains species c. burmanii (Indonesian), which has a coumarin concentration that is 126 times greater that of c. Verum (Ceylon). 
Note 3.  The three species in 2a, 2b, and 2c are usually collectively called the "Cassia" group because they are more similar to each other than to c. Verum.

European scientists report that coumarin causes liver damage in humans and cancer in laboratory rats and mice.  The European Food Safety Authority established a tolerable daily intake (TDI) of 0.1 mg/kg body weight.  For a person with a body weight of 60 kg (132 lbs), the TDI value is reached if 6.7g (0.23 US-oz) of Cassia cinnamon are consumed per day.  More recent research results may cause the TDI to be lowered!

For Americans, we face this dilemma:  
-- Species c. Verum (Ceylon) is the healthy choice.
--  but its flavor is very mild, and most of us have not experienced it.  (No pop, no kick.)
--  our experience is with the strong, intense and sometimes hot pepper taste of the "Cassia" group.
What to do?
I follow the European advice.
-- for daily use, I consume c. Verum (Ceylon cinnamon) within the European TDI.  (I sprinkle it on my morning oats.)
-- for special days (e.g., Thanksgiving, Christmas pumpkin pies), I consume from Group 2, the Cassia cinnamons.  Without regard of the TDI.  But, have to be careful.  I read where a person with liver problems eat too much Cassia cinnamon on Christmas Day and had to sleep in the emergency room overnight.  So of us live on the edge.

Question 3

What are the ingredients?

Accepted Answer

Notably, there is (little to) no anise or fennel, so all my pumpkin pie filling tasted wrong until I added it.  Clove ratio is way too high.  No allspice listed either, so that could be another reason it tastes wrong.

Question 4

Can I safely make the assumption that this Is gluten free??I realize nothing in it SHOULD have gluten, but you just never know. TIA

Accepted Answer

The package doesn't say gluten Free. However my daughter is gluten intolerant and she hasn't had any problems with it. I have used it for over a year and all is well.

Frontier Co-opFrontier Organic Pumpkin Pie Spice, 16-Ounce, Organic Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger & Cinnamon, Enhances Tea, Seasoning, KosherUSDA Organic

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