The truth about Mexican Vanilla

My wife and I just got back from a very short cruise to the Yucatan peninsula region of Mexico. As we got on and off the Ship , and at every tourist shop and store I was   amazed at the displays of “Pure Vanilla Extract” we saw. Huge pint size bottles of “Pure” vanilla for only $5.99 ..How could that be? 

Well...here is the truth about that vanilla and how it can be priced so cheap......Its not Pure and its not Vanilla ! 

To better understand how this happens , lets first look at how Pure Vanilla is made and how much it cost. Pure vanilla is made by macerating and percolating vanilla bean in a solution of ethyl alcohol and water. ( sometimes just water)   In the United States,  in order for a vanilla extract to be called "Pure" , the US Food and Drug Administration requires that the solution contain a minimum of 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon. To be a double strength (double fold) you would have to double the ounces to 26.70 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon , and so on for triple up to 20 fold. 

Lets do the math....Vanilla beans sell on the market for about $45-$65 dollars a pound (16 oz) for about 90 vanilla pods. In fact, vanilla pods are the second most expensive spice behind saffron.  Since 8 pints equal a gallon,  the wholesale cost of just the beans required to make Pure Vanilla would be over $4.69 !  Now add the cost to manufacture, package , distribute, etc, and you can see this is impossible.

So what are they selling? 

First it is important to understand that  Mexico still produces about 2% of the worlds Vanilla Pods , and still manufactures a small amount of Pure Vanilla for sale...but this is very rare and very expensive. Most mexican vanilla produced is sold to large soda companies leaving very little for the retail extract segment. 


Often, the product sold in tourist markets is actually produced using the Tonka bean extract and corn syrup in stead of actual Vanilla beans.  This so-called Mexican "Vanilla" is often contains a toxic substance called coumarin and shouldn't be bought by consumers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. Coumarin is related to warfarin, which is found in some blood thinners. Eating foods with coumarin may be dangerous for people taking blood thinners, because the combination could increase their risk of bleeding. In fact, the FDA does not allow this product to be imported legally into the US , and explains why you can not find it on the grocery store shelfs in America. Mexico does not have a FDA to control this type of labeling abuse. 

While it is tempting to buy Mexican vanilla at tourist spots -- which may smell and taste like real vanilla and is cheaper than the real thing -- it probably is not  real and could actually cause you or someone you know real harm. Even in the best case , it is really just an artificial extract using vanillin and corn syrup , and still is not Pure. 

So here is the bottom line, use common sense. If the price is to good to be true, it probably isn't true.  Just pass on it  and buy one of the wonderful Pure Vanilla's available at your local grocery store.