Fennel | whatsinit

About

What it is and where it shows up.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) is an aromatic plant of the Apiaceae family whose seeds (fruits), leaves, and bulb are used as a spice and flavouring ingredient worldwide. It imparts a characteristic anise-like flavour to foods and is also widely consumed as an herbal infusion and dietary supplement.

Safety summary

The regulatory and scientific consensus.

Normal culinary use of fennel as a spice is broadly regarded as safe. However, fennel fruits and their preparations contain estragole, a p-allylalkoxybenzene classified as a genotoxic carcinogen, which raises concerns at elevated exposure levels — particularly from infusions and concentrated supplements. EFSA's 2025 draft opinion specifically concluded that fennel fruit infusions pose safety concerns for infants and young children, and that intake during pregnancy and lactation may carry risks to the unborn child and nursing infant due to transplacental transfer and presence in breast milk.

Regulatory landscape

What food-safety regulators have decided.

Jurisdiction	Status	Note
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union)	Restricted	Under Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings, addition of pure estragole (the primary bioactive of concern in fennel) to foods is prohibited. Maximum naturally-occurring estragole levels via flavouring ingredients: 50 mg/kg in dairy products, processed fruit/vegetables, nuts/seeds, and fish products; 10 mg/kg in non-alcoholic beverages. Exemption applies where the only added flavouring ingredient is fresh, dried, or frozen fennel as a spice.source
FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India)	Approved	Fennel (saunf) is recognised as an approved spice under Chapter 2.9 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. Quality and purity standards for fennel are set under this chapter.source
FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States)	Approved	Fennel (sweet) is listed as a GRAS spice under 21 CFR 182.10; also appears in FDA's Substances Added to Food (EAFUS) inventory as a flavouring substance. No specific maximum use level is mandated for general spice use.source

Who should approach with care

Whose guidance would steer them away.

Infants — EFSA's 2025 draft opinion concluded that exposure to fennel fruit infusions in infants and young children raises concerns consistent with the principle that genotoxic and carcinogenic substances should not be deliberately introduced into the food chain for this group.

Children — EFSA found that fennel fruit infusions could significantly contribute to total p-allylalkoxybenzene (including estragole) exposure in children up to 10 years of age, resulting in margin-of-exposure values below 10,000 at high-consumption percentiles.

Pregnancy — EFSA noted that p-allylalkoxybenzenes (including estragole from fennel) cross the placenta and form DNA adducts in the foetus, concluding that fennel fruit preparations during pregnancy may pose health risks to the unborn child.

Lactation — EFSA noted that p-allylalkoxybenzenes including estragole have been detected in breast milk following maternal consumption, and have been shown to be subsequently carcinogenic in the offspring of mice; concentrated fennel preparations should therefore be avoided during breastfeeding.

Research citations

The sources behind this verdict.

1FDA. Code of Federal Regulations: Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings that are generally recognized as safe. ecfr.gov
2other. EFSA Draft Opinion – Risk characterisation and Conclusions (Sections 3.8 and 5): Safety of preparations from fruits of sweet and bitter fennel (UK Committee on Toxicity background paper), 2025. cot.food.gov.uk
3EFSA. Have your say – estragole in fennel seed preparations (Draft EFSA Scientific Opinion, public consultation), 2025. efsa.europa.eu
4EFSA. Preparatory work for the evaluation of the safety of preparations from the fruits of sweet and bitter fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. and Foeniculum piperitum (Ucria) C.Presl), 2025. efsa.europa.eu
5FSSAI. Guidance Document: Food Safety Management System (FSMS) for Spice Processing, 2018. fssai.gov.in

Independently researched5 citations