This presentation was provided at the April 2023 Symposium in San Diego. This symposium, titled The State of Science on Traditional and Emerging Food Safety Treatment Methods, addressed the risk of Salmonella in spices and validated controls for emerging treatment methods that are available. Dr. Jennifer Acuff from the University of Arkansas presented the state of science on emerging strategies to implement preventive controls and improve the safety of spices.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed phasing out ethylene oxide (EtO) use on spices and subsequently canceling the tolerances for spices, resulting in a potential future ban of imported spices with EtO residues in the U.S. In this session provided at the 2023 Regulatory Workshop held in Washington DC, panelists from agencies and academia discussed updates on EPA’s proposed ETO actions and the safety of spices. EPA officials shared an update on their actions, and panelists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and non-governmental and academic institutions discussed EPA’s proposals and the potential impact on the safety of spices. This was the presentation provided by Linda Arrington, EPA.