Jaggery — gur in India, panela in Latin America, rapadura in Brazil — is cane juice boiled down to a solid without refining. It has been made the same way for two thousand years, and it is now one of the fastest-growing "unrefined sugar" ingredients in Western bakery, snack bars and beverages. Most of the supply comes from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, and most of it is made for the Indian domestic market with no thought for export specifications.
This guide explains what to look for, why chemical clarification and moisture matter, and the rules in the US, UK, Ireland and EU including the tariff question that surprises first-time EU importers. It reflects how ODOD Group supplies its own jaggery powder.
What jaggery is, and is not
Refined sugar is cane juice from which everything but sucrose has been removed. Brown sugar is usually that refined sugar with a little molasses sprayed back on. Jaggery is the juice itself, clarified, boiled to a solid and — for powder — granulated: 88–92 % sugars with the molasses fraction, minerals and flavour intact. That is why it can be labelled "unrefined cane sugar" truthfully, and why it tastes of caramel and cane rather than just sweet.
Chemical-free clarification and the sulphite question
Cane juice must be clarified before boiling. Traditional makers use plant mucilage — okra, hibiscus, wild cane — to bind impurities that are skimmed off. Many commercial units instead use sulphur dioxide or sodium hydrosulphite to bleach and clarify, plus phosphates and heavy liming. The result is a paler jaggery that must declare sulphites above 10 mg/kg in the US, UK and EU and that undermines the clean-label claim. Specify "no sulphur, no chemical clarifiers", test SO₂ on the COA, and expect a golden rather than pale product.
Moisture and flow
Jaggery is hygroscopic. Powder packed at 5–8 % moisture in a plain bag arrives as a brick. Export-grade powder is dried to 3 % or less, sieved to a uniform granule (typically through 20 mesh, on 60) and packed in lined bags; nitrogen flushing helps for long storage. Keep it below 25 °C and dry, and reseal. Ask for moisture and a flowability note on the COA.
Colour and flavour grades
Boiling profile sets colour: golden (light caramel, ICUMSA roughly 2,000–4,000) is the usual export grade; dark jaggery has more molasses character. Grade against a reference sample and hold it, because a bar or a latte formulated on golden jaggery will taste different on dark. Reducing sugars (6–10 %) give jaggery its slight moisture-holding and browning behaviour in bakery.
Specification checklist
- Total sugars, sucrose and reducing sugars.
- Moisture ≤ 3 %; ash.
- Sulphur dioxide < 10 mg/kg; confirmation that no chemical clarifiers are used.
- Colour grade with reference sample; particle size.
- Heavy metals (lead, arsenic); pesticide screen.
- Microbiology including Salmonella and yeasts and moulds.
- Organic certificate if relevant; packaging and shelf life at receipt.
Compliance by market
United States. Jaggery is a cane sugar product; FSVP importer verification and Prior Notice apply; sulphites must be declared at 10 ppm and above (none in a chemical-free product). "Unrefined cane sugar" is an accepted descriptive name on labels.
United Kingdom. Retained labelling rules; sulphites among the 14 allergens at 10 mg/kg; standard customs entry — check the UK tariff for raw cane sugar.
European Union and Ireland. Jaggery enters under CN 1701 13 / 1701 14 (raw cane sugar not for refining), which is subject to the EU's sugar import tariff and, where applicable, tariff-rate quotas. This can add substantially to the landed cost and catches first-time importers out; ask for a DDP quote so the duty is explicit. Labelling under Regulation 1169/2011; contaminants under 2023/915; organic via the certificate of inspection in TRACES.
Organic
Organic jaggery is available at volume from NPOP-certified cane growers and is accepted under USDA NOP and EU/UK equivalence. Because clarification is inherently chemical-free in organic production, organic and chemical-free usually go together — but test sulphites anyway.
Packaging and freight
25 kg lined paper bags or 20 kg lined cartons; retail pouches and cubes through co-packers. Jaggery is dense — a 20-ft container carries about 20 tonnes. The season runs November to April; contract early for organic and for consistent colour.
What drives the price
- Sugarcane and Indian sugar prices, and the season.
- Chemical-free clarification (more labour, lower yield) versus chemical.
- Drying to 3 % moisture and sieving.
- Organic certification.
- EU import duty — the largest single item for EU landed cost; incoterm.
Before your first order
- Specify chemical-free, sulphite-free, moisture ≤ 3 % and a colour reference.
- Sample and bake or blend with it; compare against your brown sugar.
- For the EU, get a DDP quote and confirm the tariff treatment.
- Confirm organic paperwork if needed.
- Agree lined packaging and shelf life at receipt.
ODOD Group supplies chemical-free jaggery powder, conventional and organic, from contracted cane growers and HACCP / ISO 22000-certified units to bakery, snack, beverage and retail customers in the US, UK, Ireland and the EU. Request a sample and a quote; we reply within one working day.
Frequently asked questions
Is jaggery the same as brown sugar or panela?
Jaggery is whole cane juice boiled down and granulated without refining — the same family as panela, rapadura and piloncillo. Most brown sugar is refined white sugar with molasses added back, which is why "unrefined" is the honest distinction. Jaggery keeps the minerals and the flavour of the cane.
Are chemicals used to make it?
Not in ours. Cane juice is clarified with plant mucilage in open pans and the scum is skimmed off. No sulphur dioxide, sodium hydrosulphite, phosphates or lime overdosing — so no sulphite declaration and a clean ingredient statement: "jaggery (unrefined cane sugar)".
Why does some jaggery powder set into a brick?
Moisture. Jaggery is hygroscopic and cheap powder is packed at 5–8 % moisture in unlined bags. Ours is dried to 3 % or less, sieved to a uniform granule and packed in lined bags; keep it sealed and dry and it stays free-flowing.
What colour and flavour can I specify?
Golden (light caramel) is standard; a dark grade with stronger molasses notes is available. Colour is graded against a reference sample and reported as ICUMSA on request, so bakery and beverage products stay consistent.
Is organic jaggery available in volume?
Yes. NPOP-certified organic cane from contracted growers, accepted under USDA NOP and EU / UK organic equivalence; specify at quotation and allow time for the certificate of inspection on the first EU shipment.
How is it treated at EU customs?
Jaggery enters the EU under raw cane sugar codes (CN 1701 13 / 1701 14) and is subject to the EU sugar tariff and, where applicable, quota arrangements, which affect the landed cost more than for most ingredients. We quote DDP for the EU on request so the duty is visible in the price.