This document covers Frequently Asked Questions about country-of-origin Origin Labeling and discusses the different requirements enforced by various regulatory agencies in the U.S. that have jurisdiction over country-of-origin regulations. This document serves the purpose of providing an overview and resources for the spice industry on country of origin disclosure requirements and includes the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS).

In 2018, USDA released new requirements related to the disclosure of bioengineered (a.k.a. “GMO”). Although spices are not currently bioengineered, many common ingredients used with spices – such as oils, carriers, starches, and sugars – may be considered to be bioengineered foods. Manufacturers that use any ingredients from foods on the “bioengineered list,” which includes corn, soy, canola, potato, and sugarbeet, will either need to disclose that the food is bioengineered or maintain documentation demonstrating that the food is not bioengineered. In this webinar, ASTA provides answers to questions on this topic.