New Delhi: India cultivates around 75 varieties of spices, but the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has notified quality standards for only 45 of them, leaving several spices, including vanilla, tamarind, curry leaf, and kokum, without official benchmark, according to a report released Wednesday by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
The report notes that although India accounts for more than 40 percent of global spice production, between 60 and 80 percent of its domestic spice market remains informal. It identifies gaps in food safety standards, overlapping regulations, inconsistent laboratory testing and poor traceability as major challenges in this sector.
Released at an expert consultation on food safety, the report—Streamlining the Indian spices market: Issues and way forward—calls for stronger enforcement of food safety standards, uniform testing protocols and better coordination across the spice supply chain.
The report comes amid heightened scrutiny of the safety of Indian spices. In 2024, Singapore and Hong Kong recalled selected MDH and Everest spice products after detecting elevated levels of ethylene oxide, a chemical not permitted above prescribed limits in food in several countries.
It also notes that 31 consignments of Indian herbs and spices were rejected by European Union member states between October 2025 and April 2026, for reasons including ethylene oxide in biryani masala, aflatoxin B1 in chilli flakes, Salmonella in turmeric powder, and unauthorised pesticide residues.
According to the report, the global spices market was valued at USD 27-30.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 54.75 billion by 2033. In contrast, India’s domestic spice market is expanding at a slower pace than the country’s overall economic growth.
“Spices are not a minor commodity—they account for nearly one-tenth of the value of the crop sector. Given the sector’s rapid growth, there is a clear need to streamline the spice market, with primary focus on quality, food safety and standards,” said Dr Ramesh Chand, Distinguished Professor at ICRIER and former member of NITI Aayog.
Addressing key challenges
The report says the absence of official standards for several spices has led to wide variation in product quality. It also highlights overlapping regulations issued by agencies, such as FSSAI and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which can result in conflicting compliance requirements.
Another issue is laboratory testing. According to ICRIER, differences in testing procedures across laboratories increase compliance costs by an estimated Rs 25,000-30,000 per sample.
The report also flags excessive pesticide and fertiliser use, poor storage and post-harvest handling, limited traceability to farms, and the continued sale of adulterated or substandard spices as key food safety concerns.
Strengthening farm-to-retail oversight
ICRIER says improving food safety will require action across the supply chain, including at the farm level, where current practices fall outside FSSAI’s jurisdiction.
It recommends creating a single nodal agency to regulate the spice supply chain from farm to retail, while FSSAI works with state governments to develop and enforce farm-level food safety standards.
Explaining the FSSAI’s approach to standard-setting, Dr Arvind Kumar, Member of the Scientific Panel on Spices and Culinary Herbs, FSSAI, said, “Through scientific risk assessment, consultations with research institutions, industry and farmers, and consensus-building, India can develop standards that are harmonised with India’s conditions while ensuring food safety,”.
Dr Raka Saxena, Programme Director (Agriculture Policy), NITI Aayog said, “Food safety is fundamental to strengthening India’s domestic spice sector. Building a comprehensive domestic database on food safety gaps is equally important to improve quality and strengthen the entire value chain.”
Other recommendations include adopting uniform laboratory testing protocols, a national database on spice production and consumption, improved traceability, investment in storage and testing infrastructure, and training farmers on good agricultural and post-harvest practices.
I guess none of what the common man consumes in India is fit for consumption in developed countries.