So, you think your spice brand is doing the job? What if I told you that your brand might ​be adulterated and contain unsafe contaminants, such as: Salmonella, insect parts, rodent parts, animal hair, human hair; unsafe levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium; mycotoxins; microbial contamination; laced with fillers; etc. Studies have found:

 

 

• Heavy metals in spices and herbs from worldwide markets.

• 86% of U.S. households use dried spices. Most are imported. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found 12% of imported spices were contaminated with pathogens like Salmonella or filthy with insect parts or animal hair. Contamination was found in ground, cracked and whole spices. Coriander, basil, oregano, sesame seeds, pepper, cumin and curry powder were most commonly contaminated.

• In 2022, the World Health Organization published an overview of their meeting titled "Microbiological hazards in spices and dried aromatic herbs: meeting report." A number of different pathogens have been found in spices on the market, especially Salmonella spp., B. cereus and C. perfringens. There have also been several disease outbreaks associated with spices and dried aromatic herbs. An increased concern and attention to the safety of spices and dried aromatic herbs prompted, the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) to request FAO and WHO to undertake a risk assessment on microbiological hazards in these food commodities.

• In 2013, the FDA released a report stating that nearly 12% of spice imports into the U.S. were contaminated with insect parts, whole insects, rodent hairs, and other foreign materials.

• Dried or dehydrated nutmeg, chili and paprika, ginger, pepper and turmeric are the major spices traded globally and have been reported to be contaminated with higher number of mycotoxins i.e. aflatoxins and ochratoxin A than other spices.

• Consumer Reports’ tests of 15 types of dried herbs and spices used in a variety of cuisines. They looked at 126 individual products from national and private-label brands, such as Great Value (Walmart), La Flor, McCormick, Penzeys, Spice Islands, and Trader Joe’s.

• Roughly one-third of the tested products, 40 in total, had high enough levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium combined, on average, to pose a health concern for children when regularly consumed in typical serving sizes. Most raised concern for adults, too.

• For two herbs, thyme and oregano, all the products we tested had levels that CR experts say are concerning.

• In 31 products, levels of lead were so high that they exceeded the maximum amount anyone should have in a day, according to CR’s experts.

• There was no single predictor of which products contained higher levels of heavy metals—for example, brand name didn’t matter, and neither did "organic" or "packed in USA" claims.

• Recent tests conducted by Consumer Reports on 15 types of dried herbs and spices from various brands, including Great Value (Walmart), La Flor, McCormick, Penzeys, Spice Islands, and Trader Joe’s, revealed concerning findings. One-third of the tested brand name herbs and spices contained levels of arsenic, lead, and cadmium high enough to pose a health concern for children, and most raised concerns for adults as well. It’s worth noting that many individual spices tested below the threshold for concern, indicating variability in contamination levels across products.

• Turmeric powder showed lead levels up to 972 parts per billion, which is nearly 65 times higher than the maximum allowed...Paprika and chili powder also ranked high on the contamination list, with some samples exceeding safe limits by 300 percent. Ground ginger, black pepper, and oregano showed moderate contamination levels.

• In 2017, the FDA published a report titled "Risk Profile: Pathogens and Filth in Spices." Elven spices from retail establishments were tested for salmonella prevalence. 8 of the 11 tested positive: Basil, black pepper, coriander, curry powder, dehydrated garlic, oregano, paprika, and red pepper.

• “Our research found that some of the spices they purchased from farmers’ markets and bulk spice vendors were positive for Salmonella.  There are four spices that were typically associated with salmonella contamination: black pepper, thyme, oregano, and turmeric. Live and dead whole insects and insect parts; excrements from animals, birds, and insects; human and animal hair, and other contaminants were found by the FDA. 

• ...spices and herbs can often be a major source of microbial contamination. Studies investigating bacterial and/or fungal contamination of spices and herbs are reviewed. The high levels of microbial contamination in spices and herbs reported by many of the studies reviewed suggests a need for better control in all aspects of the production, processing and usage of these products to prevent potential food spoilage and food-borne illnesses due to contaminated spices and herbs.

• A study was published in PubMed in titled "Bacterial spores in spices and dried herbs: The risks for processed food." 

• Spice shipments from 79 countries were examined for Salmonella, and they found that 37 of the 79 countries had Salmonella-contaminated shipments, indicating that contamination of spice shipments with Salmonella is not limited to just a few source countries. Spice shipments offered for entry into the U.S. had an overall prevalence for Salmonella of approximately 6.6 percent during the 2007 to 2009 fiscal years, about twice the average prevalence of all other imported, FDA-regulated foods. They also found that approximately 12 percent of the spice shipments offered for entry to the U.S. during a three-year period (FY 2007 to FY 2009) were adulterated with filth such as insects and animal hair, which can result from inadequate packing or storage conditions.

• Many spices contain “fillers” to raise the weight so that the processors make more money.