Criminal Flavor

Vanilla. A rather simple flavor. Sweet and highly aromatic, but very familiar and predictable at the same time. However, this seemingly innocent spice is surrounded by what's least expected of it: crime, money, and even murder.

Every year, Madagascar exports around 80 percent of the world's vanilla, and the recently inflated price tag of up to 600 dollars a kilogram (O'Reilly) makes it seem like the country is spilling over with riches. But the many people involved in the vanilla process would say otherwise as Madagascar is full of poverty and a lack of strong leadership(Lind). The Malagasy people are left to work problems out on their own, and when one of the most expensive spices in the world is involved, issues begin to erupt, and finding a solution is ignored.

The high demand and inflated price of vanilla have led to an extreme increase in crime rates surrounding the industry. A majority of the Malagasy population is desperate for money, and the expensive price tag of vanilla along with its small size makes it the perfect crop for stealing. The fear of plants getting stolen has taken over many Malagasy farmers. One farmer claimed that he was robbed while at a funeral and returned home to find that half of his vanilla was stolen(Lind). Most farmers are already living on less than a dollar a day, and when such crimes take place, they are left struggling to make up for the lost profits(Lind). The crime doesn't end with stealing, there have been dozens of murders, and thieves are constantly committing violent acts to guarantee they get a hold of the vanilla(Watts). A group of thieves in Anjaana threatened farmers before raids telling them to "prepare what we want" (Watts). Overall, crime is profoundly affecting the lives of farmers, and many are forced to compromise their lifestyle due to lost profits.

Unfortunately, high crime rates have even caused a decrease in the quality of vanilla beans produced. As a way to prevent their crop from being stolen, farmers have begun harvesting earlier than usual (Rabary). Vanillin is the compound found within the vanilla spice that gives it the aromatic flavor it is known for. The earlier the spice gets picked, the lower the levels of vanillin within it are. Over the past five years, the vanillin in Madagascar beans has decreased between 1.2-1.3 percent (Rabary). But has this decrease in quality created a noticeable effect? The answer is yes--well known French chef Gilles Marchal even claimed that he has been using less and less of the spice found in so many of his desserts(Allemandou). Pastry chefs have also been replacing the natural vanilla bean pods with the synthetic version to guarantee a consistent flavor (Allemandou). In the future, the increasing popularity of artificial vanilla could lead to many profits lost for Madagascar, a country that is heavily reliant on the spice.

What are the Malagasy people doing to combat high crime rates? Farmers have begun sleeping in the vanilla fields in hopes of scaring away possible criminals (Lind). Others hire a group to patrol the fields, each with a weapon in their hands (O'Reilly). Many feel that the only way to prevent thieves from getting away with the crimes they are committing is by labeling each pod with a logo or name of the farmer who produces the vanilla(Lind). Although this method makes it easier to track the seeds back to where they came from, it's a monotonous and extremely laborious job.

Using labor-intensive techniques such as marking vanilla pods with the name of the farmer or hiring a group to guard the plots of land may be effective, but only for a certain amount of time. For the problem to be solved, the root of it needs to be addressed, and this responsibility lies in the hands of the government. When the police officers can easily get bribed(O'Reilly) when the justice system is anything but just, and when those supposedly in charge let criminals get away with crime, how can the people be expected to do any better?

Works Cited

ALLEMANDOU, Ségolène. “Crisis in Madagascar as Price of Vanilla Nears That of Gold.” France 24, France 24, 20 Apr. 2018, www.france24.com/en/20180420-magagascar-vanilla-price-trade-crime-crop-weather.





O'reilly, Finbarr, and Craig Allen. “Precious as Silver, Vanilla Brings Cash and Crime to Madagascar.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/30/world/africa/madagascar-vanilla.html.


Rabary, Lovasoa. “Madagascar Vanilla Crop Quality Suffers as Thieves Spark Violence.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 18 July 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-madagascar-vanilla/madagascar-vanilla-crop-quality-suffers-as-thieves-spark-violence-idUSKCN1UD12N.





"The bitter taste of Madagascar vanilla." Al Jazeera America, 19 Feb. 2017. Gale In Context: Global Issues, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A481697535/GIC?u=los42754&sid=GIC&xid=cad6e805. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020.





Watts, Jonathan. “Madagascar's Vanilla Wars: Prized Spice Drives Death and Deforestation.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 31 Mar. 2018, www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/31/madagascars-vanilla-wars-prized-spice-drives-death-and-deforestation.