Heavy Metals in the Spice Industry

Proactive Measures to Prevent Heavy Metals in Spices

ASTA’s mission is to ensure the supply of pure, safe spice to American consumers. As an industry, we are committed to mitigating the presence of naturally occurring elements, such as heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and arsenic, in spices. Our approach includes comprehensive guidance on good agricultural practices and testing, education on preventing and detecting economically motivated adulteration, as well as limits for heavy metals in spices that are in alignment with existing European Union regulations. We also support ongoing research and education to further limit the presence of heavy metals in spices.

Science

As with any food product, traces of heavy metals in spices naturally vary due to environmental factors, like where the crops are grown and the part of the plant from which they are sourced. Spices come from dozens of crops grown in many countries worldwide. Moreover, spices are sourced from different parts of the plant, such as the roots, seeds, bark, fruit, or leaves. Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements in the Earth’s crust, so any natural product that comes into contact with soil or groundwater has the potential to take up trace amounts of heavy metals that cannot be removed.

Regulation

Because heavy metals occur naturally in spices, global regulatory authorities have considered heavy metal limits for spices that are based on natural occurrence, environmental considerations, production, and consumption patterns. Several global regulators, most notably the European Commission, have established limits for lead in spices supported by available scientific evidence and enable access to a safe and reliable supply for consumers. These regulations are intended to combat fraudulent practices resulting in elevated levels of lead, while acknowledging the presence of unavailable trace naturally-occurring levels. A similar approach is under consideration by the World Health Organization’s Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food. Importantly, these standards avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and, instead, differentiate by spice type and element. The spice industry supports these limits.

In the United States, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) develops guidance levels for toxic elements in products determined to be the most significant for public health but has not identified levels of concern for spices due to their minor contribution to dietary exposure. The spice industry supports FDA establishing federal heavy metal action levels and has encouraged the agency to explore harmonizing levels with those set by international bodies.

Safety

Global regulators have concluded that spices are safe for human consumption. While spices are an integral part of most people’s diets, they are consumed in small amounts as food ingredients and do not account for a large portion of daily food intake, especially compared to other food groups. In fact, the average American eats a fraction of a gram of spices per day, amounting to only 0.01 percent of a person’s total diet. As such, contributions by spices to a person’s heavy metal exposure, if any, would be minor compared to the consumption of other foods. Studies that evaluate the presence of metals in spices and account for average consumer exposure confirm that consuming spices is safe.

In addition to trace amounts of heavy metals that occur naturally in spices, as with many agricultural products, ASTA is committed to combating the most urgent public health threat facing consumers: the intentional adulteration of spices. Unfortunately, in very rare instances, excessive lead levels can be present in some spices, likely the result of economically motivated adulteration by some spice suppliers outside the U.S. For example, historical incidents related to excessive levels of lead in turmeric and cinnamon have been linked to the addition of lead chromate by foreign suppliers to fraudulently enhance the spices’ color. Such practices are illegal, and ASTA has zero tolerance for economically motivated adulteration in spices.

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Industry Stewardship

The American Spice Trade Association takes proactive steps to reduce the possibility of trace amounts of heavy metals in spices. For instance, ASTA publishes guidance for the spice industry, specifically on heavy metal limits and Good Agricultural Practices, to educate spice producers on how to best grow crops, manage irrigation, monitor soils, and safely transport product to minimize element uptake from the environment. Furthermore, the spice industry works with producers and other partners, such as the Sustainable Spice Initiative, worldwide to provide training on these practices while investing in ongoing research on the best ways to mitigate traces of toxic elements in the spice supply chain.

Download our Consumer Guide to Heavy Metals and Spice Safety.

Additional Resources

To support our mission of ensuring the supply of pure, safe spice to American consumers, we've developed several resources for both ASTA members and the general public.

Public Resources

Learn more about heavy metals and spice safety through our downloadable resources.

Guidance Levels

Spice Safety Fact Sheet

Heavy Metals Infographic

ASTA Member Resources

ASTA has developed several member-specific resources on Heavy Metals, including talking points and screening tools.

Heavy Metals

HEAVY METALS FAQ

Heavy Metals and the Safety of Spices

There is a consensus among global regulators that spices are safe for human consumption. While spices are an integral part of most people’s diet, they are consumed in small amounts as ingredients in food and do not account for a large portion of each person’s daily food intake, especially when compared to other food groups. In fact, the average American eats a fraction of a gram of spices per day amounting to only 0.01 percent of a person’s total diet. As such, contributions by spices to heavy metal exposure, if any, would be very minor compared to consumption of other foods. Assessments which evaluate the presence of metals in spices and account for typical consumer exposure demonstrate that consuming spices is safe.

As with any food product, the concentration of heavy metals in spices naturally varies due to where and how spices are grown, environmental factors, soil conditions, and harvesting and processing methods. Spices come from dozens of crops grown in many different countries around the world. Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements in the Earth’s crust, so any natural product that comes into contact with soil or groundwater has the potential to take up trace amounts of heavy metals that cannot be removed.

The U.S. spice industry is committed to ensuring spices remain safe and that any presence of heavy metals is as low as feasible. The industry achieves this in several ways. Spice farmers follow Good Agricultural Practices to mitigate uptake during growing. Importers ensure compliance with quality standards and strict specifications by requiring documentation from their suppliers, including testing for heavy metals to achieve the safest supply of spices for consumers. Additionally, manufacturers use cleaning methods to minimize contributions from soil and the environment and adhere to practices that prevent the contribution of heavy metals through processing.

ASTA supports the calls by public health agencies and global regulators to combat fraudulent adulteration of spices, such as turmeric adulterated with lead chromate, when establishing maximum levels for trace amounts of lead in spices. In order to prevent the importation of fraudulent spices into the U.S., ASTA has developed a number of resources for the spice industry to encourage awareness of the potential for adulteration and steps that can be taken to prevent it, as well as tools for the detection of adulteration. Studies show that the measures to prevent this practice have been implemented by the U.S. industry and regulators and have been effective at preventing adulterated spices from entering the U.S. market directly.

A number of global regulatory authorities, most notably the European Commission, have established limits for lead in spices that are supported by available scientific evidence and enable access to a safe and reliable supply of spices for consumers. Likewise, a similar approach is under consideration by the World Health Organization’s Codex Committee on Contaminants in Food. Importantly, these standards avoid a one-size-fits-all approach and, instead, differentiate by spice type and element. Due to the global nature of the supply chain for spices, discrepancies regarding maximum levels of heavy metals between regulatory bodies could potentially create significant barriers to global trade. Harmonization across international regulations fosters compliance and mitigates barriers to trade. As such, the spice industry supports FDA establishing federal toxic element action levels and has encouraged the agency to explore harmonizing levels with those established by international bodies.