Cinnamon and coumarin - Clarification from the scientific and administrative angle

As a reply to an article of Schmidt ana Mueller (2007), the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) elucidates main aspects of the current risk assessment of coumarin and cinnamon, as well as fundamental principles and problems of the toxicological assessment of plants and plant ingredients. Regarding risk assessment of coumarin, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the BfR derived the same numerical value for a Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 0.1 mg/kg body weight, using different ways (use of experimental data from animals and of human data from medicinal treatment, respectively). Critical endpoint for the toxic response of coumarin is hepatotoxicity; for this effect, a small but relevant part of the population is particular sensitive. Risk Assessment of plants and plant components (for example cinnamon) frequently has to consider their toxicologically relevant ingredients, as data on the plant material is often missing. In this regard, important aspects are presented, e.g. an influence of the plant matrix or the proof of possible toxic effects of food already in use for a long time. The widespread public opinion that plant ingredients in general are less toxic compared to synthetic substances, cannot be confirmed from a scientific point of view