Guidance on Authenticity of Herbs and Spices
Industry best practice on assessing and protecting culinary dried herbs and spices.
The global market for herbs and spices is complex with diverse supply chains and
products being sourced from a variety of businesses ranging from large scale
producers to smallholders.
Many herbs and spices grow wild and are farmed on a
village or subsistence scale and there are often many intermediaries in the
supply
chain from farmer, collector to middle-man before arrival at the origin
processor/shipper.
Protection against adulteration and substitution is of the
upmost
importance given that many herbs and spices are materials that may be of high
intrinsic value. Food businesses need to ensure that they have appropriate
controls
and mitigation measures in place to prevent or detect product vulnerabilities.
As
with any raw material and its supply chain, the emphasis should always be on
prevention rather than detection of issues. As each herb and spice is unique,
this
document concentrates on identifying and assessing general vulnerabilities.
This guidance was developed by a Joint Industry Working Group comprised of
representatives of the British Retail Consortium, Food and Drink Federation and
Seasoning and Spice Association, in liaison with the Food Standards Agency and
Food
Standards Scotland.
Scope
This document has been developed to provide Industry Best Practice Guidance on
vulnerability assessment for culinary dried herbs and spices (including
blends),
in order to mitigate against potential adulteration and substitution.
It is
focussed on the authenticity of herbs and spices and therefore does not cover
general food safety controls. However, food safety and labelling requirements
still
apply.
It is prudent for users also to consider the potential for
cross-contamination as a part of Good Agricultural and Manufacturing Practices,
which are beyond
the scope of this document.
Download 'Guidance on Authenticity of Herbs and Spices'
Last reviewed: 29 Apr 2019