What EU buyers and Indian exporters need to know: pesticide MRLs, ethylene oxide, aflatoxin and contaminant limits, border controls, RASFF alerts and organic documentation.
The EU is one of the strictest destinations for spices, herbs and herbal powders. Rejections are rarely about the product being "bad". They come from a residue or contaminant over a legal limit, or from missing paperwork. These are the main areas to plan for.
Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 sets maximum residue levels for pesticides in food. Where no specific limit exists for a substance on a product, a low default limit applies, so even small traces of a pesticide not approved for use can cause a failure. Ask for a multi-residue lab report from an accredited laboratory for each lot.
Ethylene oxide is not authorised for treating food in the EU. Residues of EtO and its by-product 2-chloroethanol have led to numerous product withdrawals, notably for spices and seeds. If you buy for the EU, state in your contract that lots must be EtO-free, and use steam sterilisation instead where a microbial reduction is needed.
Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets maximum levels for contaminants such as aflatoxins in chilli, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric and pepper, and for heavy metals in some products. Test each lot for aflatoxin and, for herbal powders, for heavy metals.
Salmonella is a common reason for spice alerts. Importers typically require it to be absent in a 25 g sample, and some products need a documented kill step. Request a microbiological report with the CoA.
Consignments can be checked at the EU border under the official controls regulation. For certain product and origin pairs, the EU temporarily increases the frequency of checks through Regulation (EU) 2019/1793, whose annexes are updated regularly, so always check the current list for your product. Notifications of problems circulate in the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), which importers watch closely.
Organic imports need valid organic certification and an electronic certificate of inspection issued in TRACES for each consignment, plus the supporting transaction certificate from the Indian side.
See the certifications page for the documents we prepare for EU-bound shipments, or tell us your product and destination.
Product, quantity, destination port. We reply within 8 business hours and quote within 48.