Contamination of herbs and spices: A 23-year EU RASFF notifications analysis

From 2000 to 2022, all and serious notifications of the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) on herbs and spices were examined to identify the most notified products, their associated hazards and origin countries, as well as the consequent notification classification and actions taken. The data reveals that 3741 notifications were transmitted for herbs and spices during the last 23 years, accounting for 5.3% of the RASFF total notifications of all product categories (70630). Border rejection and serious risk decisions represented 37.9% and 39.5% of the total herbs and spices notifications, respectively. In the last 5 years, serious notifications ranged from 76.6% to 87.2% of all herbs and spices notifications. India was the most notified origin country (23.6%), followed by Brazil (8.7%), Thailand (7.2%), Turkey (5.8%), and China (4.6%). The top 10 notified herbs and spices were chili, black pepper, curry, paprika, nutmeg, spice mix, basil, mint, ginger, and cumin, while the top 10 hazards were Salmonella, aflatoxin, Sudan 1, Sudan 4, ethylene oxide (EtO), ochratoxin A, chlorpyrifos, Escherichia coli, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and color E 160b. Approximately 96.3% of black pepper, 71% of chili, and almost all nutmeg serious notifications were related to Salmonella, aflatoxins, and mycotoxins, respectively. Strict measures to minimize the risk associated with such contaminants in herbs and spices must be implemented.