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Lijjat

Meat Masala

Name: Meat Masala
Brand: Lijjat

Use in moderation SafeShelf · review pending

NOVA 3no artificial additivesno added sugaragmark certifiedhigh sodiumall-spice blendlactose-freegluten-freediabetic-safenut-freeenjoy in moderation

Serving

100 g

Pack

50 g

Ingredients

Barcode

8901441074013

Buy on Brand site

01 — Ingredient mix

What’s in the box, ranked from most concerning.

Each ingredient gets a tier from our researched dossier. The list sorts worst-first; the donut summarises the distribution. Tap any ingredient for its full dossier.

Caution · 5 ingredients shown

Caution5 of 21 ingredients

SaltCaution

CinnamomCaution

Fennel SeedsCaution

Poppy SeedsCaution

NutmegCaution

Cleared 16▾

Coriander SeedsCleared

Bedgi ChilliCleared

Guntur ChilliCleared

Cumin SeedsCleared

Black PepperCleared

ClovesCleared

Stone FlowerCleared

AnistarCleared

Green CardamomCleared

Garlic PowderCleared

Onion PowderCleared

TurmericE100Cleared

Mint LeafCleared

Bay LeafCleared

SIAHJIRACleared

Dry GingerCleared

02 — Claims audit

Every label claim, fact-checked.

We treat each claim as a question — does what’s inside back it up? Tap a claim for the reasoning.

2/2

claims fully supported

“Agmark certified”true

Certifications field in EXTRA INFORMATION explicitly lists 'AGMARK authorised packer since 1977', confirming active AGMARK status.

“Authorised packer under AGMARK Since 1977”true

Certifications field confirms 'AGMARK authorised packer since 1977'; the brand has also marketed an extensive range of AGMARK spice powders and masalas listed on the label, consistent with long-standing authorised-packer status.

03 — The fuller picture

Read the whole thing if a one-line verdict isn’t enough.

What’s in favour, and what’s working against it

In favour

No artificial colours, preservatives, or flavour enhancers
No added sugars in any form
AGMARK certified and FSSAI licensed
Rich in dietary iron (22.1 mg per 100 g) from spices
High calcium content (669.8 mg per 100 g) from spice matrix
All-whole-spice ingredient list — recognisable culinary ingredients only

Working against

Very high sodium — 1368 mg per 100 g, exceeding 600 mg SafeShelf threshold per stated serving
Contains poppy seeds: opiate alkaloid (morphine) surface-contamination risk per EFSA
Cinnamon species unspecified — if cassia, regular use raises coumarin exposure concerns
Dietary fibre value (43.2 g per 100 g) appears likely OCR-corrupted and unreliable
Stated serving size of 100 g is unrealistically large for a masala powder

Who should approach with care

Hypertension — Salt is the dominant sodium contributor at 1368 mg per 100 g; excess sodium directly and continuously raises blood pressure per WHO and EFSA NDA Panel assessments, making this masala a significant risk for people with hypertension.

Kidney Disease — Impaired kidneys cannot efficiently excrete the high sodium load (1368 mg per 100 g from salt), and poppy seed opiate alkaloid contamination poses additional risk due to reduced morphine clearance in renal disease.

Heart Disease — High sodium from salt promotes fluid retention and raises blood pressure, increasing cardiac workload; garlic powder and dry ginger may additionally potentiate anticoagulant medications at higher masala doses.

Pregnancy — Multiple ingredients — fennel seeds (estragole/EFSA 2025 draft), poppy seeds (opiate alkaloids per EFSA), black cumin (abortifacient activity at supplemental doses), and high sodium — collectively warrant caution; small culinary use is lower risk but pregnant women should limit intake.

Lactation — Fennel seeds are explicitly advised against for breastfeeding women by EMA and EFSA (2025 draft) due to estragole transfer to breast milk; aniseed anethole and nutmeg's anticholinergic myristicin also pass into breast milk.

Infants — Poppy seeds (EFSA: ARfD can be exceeded in a single child-sized serving), fennel seeds (EMA/EFSA: avoid up to age 4), mint (menthol apnoea risk), bay leaf (choking/obstruction), and chilli capsaicinoids collectively make this blend unsuitable for infants.

Children — Cinnamon (coumarin TDI exceedance at low doses in children), nutmeg (anticholinergic toxicity at lower absolute doses per poison-centre data), fennel (EFSA/EMA: avoid under age 4), and high sodium from salt all pose particular risk in children.

Elderly — Declining renal sodium excretion capacity makes elderly individuals disproportionately susceptible to hypertension and cardiovascular harm from the high sodium content of this masala, as noted by FDA.

Liver Disease — Eugenol from cloves, coumarin from cassia-type cinnamon, myristicin from nutmeg, and curcumin from turmeric are all hepatically metabolised and each carry independent hepatotoxicity signals relevant to individuals with pre-existing liver disease.

Epilepsy — Fennel seeds (fenchone has convulsant properties in animal studies), bay leaf (CNS-depressant interactions with anticonvulsants), nutmeg (case-reported seizure association), and mint (seizure threshold modulation at high doses) collectively warrant consultation for epilepsy patients.

Ibs — Garlic powder and onion powder are high-FODMAP ingredients; capsaicin from Guntur and Bedgi chillies activates TRPV1 receptors worsening visceral hypersensitivity; multiple spices in this blend are recognised IBS triggers.

Ibd — Capsaicin from chillies, piperine from black pepper, and high-FODMAP garlic and onion powder may all aggravate mucosal inflammation and worsen flare-ups in Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Diabetes — Bay leaf may interfere with blood-sugar control and interact with antidiabetic medications; black cumin (nigella sativa) exerts hypoglycaemic activity that may produce additive effects with antidiabetic drugs, raising hypoglycaemia risk.

Migraine — Guntur chilli's high capsaicin content is a recognised dietary migraine trigger through activation of nociceptive pathways in susceptible individuals.

Sulfite Sensitivity — FSSAI permits sulphur dioxide up to 2000 ppm in commercially dried ginger, meaning this ingredient as sourced may trigger reactions in sulfite-sensitive individuals.

G6pd Deficiency — Menthol from mint leaves has been reported to trigger haemolytic episodes in individuals with G6PD deficiency, particularly at above-culinary doses within concentrated spice blends.

Other — Individuals with Apiaceae family allergies (celery, fennel, carrot) face cross-reactive risk from coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and aniseed; those on anticoagulant therapy face compounding interaction risk from garlic powder, dry ginger, black cumin, and clove.

The full analysis

This is a traditionally composed Indian masala powder bought primarily by home cooks who want a convenient, no-shortcuts spice blend for meat curries. The ingredient list is genuinely clean — every component is a recognisable culinary spice with no artificial colours, preservatives, or flavour enhancers — earning it NOVA 3 status. The most important single fact a consumer should take away is the sodium content: at 1368 mg per 100 g, any meaningful serving delivers a very large fraction of the WHO daily limit of 2000 mg, making this a significant concern for people managing blood pressure, kidney disease, or heart disease. Two nutrition values also deserve a caveat: the dietary-fibre figure of 43.2 g per 100 g appears implausibly high even for a spice blend (likely an OCR transcription error) and the declared serving size of 100 g is far larger than the realistic 5–15 g culinary use, so all per-serving figures should be treated with caution. Finally, the ingredient atom mapping for 'Stone Flower' was resolved to 'Potassium Iodide' in the dossier — this appears to be a data-pipeline error; Stone Flower (Parmotrema perlatum) is a lichen spice used in Indian masalas and is not potassium iodide.

FSSAI licence

11513003001139

Manufacturer

Lijjat

Region

Source

MANUAL

Analysis

Independently researched