1. Food Alert Atlas
  2. Products
  3. Herbs and spices
Data read on 8 November 2026 from the EU RASFF Window

Herbs and spices: EU food safety alerts

Every EU notification in the category herbs and spices, by origin and finding.

2,009
notifications since 2020
240
in the last 365 days
22
in the last 30 days
44%
border rejections

2,009 notifications on herbs and spices since 1 January 2020, 6% of all EU notifications in that time. 240 in the 365 days to 8 November 2026, against 316 in the 365 days before, down 24%. 44% were border rejections, against 30% across all products, and 65% had a serious risk decision.

The origins named most often were India (444), Brazil (238) and Türkiye (197). The findings reported most often were Salmonella (420), chlorpyrifos (251) and pyrrolizidine alkaloids (221). The products named most often were black or white pepper (269), cumin (238), spice mixes (108) and 1 more.

Counts start on 1 January 2020 and run to 8 November 2026, the day the list was last read. A notification that names two countries of origin counts for each. Findings come from our word list matched against the EU subject line, which is never shown; 96% of all notifications match it, the rest count as other finding. Each reference links to the official record on RASFF Window. How this works.

Latest notifications on herbs and spices

The newest 25 of 2,009, newest first, each built from fixed word lists. The reference opens the official record.

  1. Border rejection notified by Italy: chlorpyrifos in coriander from India, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.9859, validated 5 November 2026.
  2. Border rejection notified by the Netherlands: pesticide residues in cumin from India, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.9839, validated 5 November 2026.
  3. Information for attention notified by Belgium: pesticide residues in ginger from India, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9823, validated 5 November 2026.
  4. Information for attention notified by Denmark: dimethoate or omethoate and hexaconazole in herbs or spices from Thailand, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9667, validated 30 October 2026.
  5. Alert notified by the Netherlands: chlorpyrifos in herbs or spices from India, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9693, validated 30 October 2026.
  6. Border rejection notified by Spain: ethylene oxide in herbs or spices from India, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.9692, validated 30 October 2026.
  7. Alert notified by Germany: chlorpyrifos and unauthorised colours in sumac from Lebanon, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.9521, validated 26 October 2026.
  8. Alert notified by the Netherlands: chlorpyrifos in herbs or spices from Spain, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9485, validated 23 October 2026.
  9. Alert notified by Belgium: chlorpyrifos in fennel from Egypt, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9433, validated 22 October 2026.
  10. Border rejection notified by Bulgaria: aflatoxins in chillies from India, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9408, validated 22 October 2026.
  11. Alert notified by Germany: Sudan dyes in sumac from Türkiye, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9343, validated 20 October 2026.
  12. Information for attention notified by the Netherlands: aflatoxins in herbs or spices from India, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9328, validated 20 October 2026.
  13. Alert notified by Germany: pyrrolizidine alkaloids in herbs or spices from Germany, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9224, validated 16 October 2026.
  14. Alert notified by Germany: Salmonella in herbs or spices from Germany and Italy, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9172, validated 15 October 2026.
  15. Border rejection notified by Latvia: missing or incorrect health certificates and documents for cardamom from India, risk decision not serious, reference 2026.9160, validated 15 October 2026.
  16. Border rejection notified by Malta: a substance not authorised in the EU in chillies from India, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.9165, validated 15 October 2026.
  17. Border rejection notified by Malta: pesticide residues in chilli powder from India, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.9169, validated 15 October 2026.
  18. Alert notified by the Netherlands: Salmonella in dried herbs from France, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9127, validated 14 October 2026.
  19. Information for attention notified by Norway: E. coli above the hygiene limit in basil from Thailand, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.9137, validated 14 October 2026.
  20. Alert notified by Germany: tropane alkaloids (atropine, scopolamine) in mint from Syria, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9085, validated 13 October 2026.
  21. Border rejection notified by Croatia: missing or incorrect health certificates and documents for ginger from India, risk decision no risk, reference 2026.9024, validated 12 October 2026.
  22. Information for follow up notified by Germany: unauthorised novel food in herbs or spices from Ghana, risk decision potential risk, reference 2026.9027, validated 12 October 2026.
  23. Information for attention notified by Belgium: pesticide residues in mint from Syria, risk decision serious, reference 2026.9008, validated 9 October 2026.
  24. Information for follow up notified by the European Commission: chlorpyrifos, imidacloprid, hexaconazole and 1 more findings in coriander from India, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.8949, validated 8 October 2026.
  25. Border rejection notified by Ireland: unauthorised novel food in spice mixes from India, risk decision potentially serious, reference 2026.8766, validated 5 October 2026.

Origins with their own page for herbs and spices: India (444), Brazil (238), Türkiye (197), China (139), Egypt (89), Spain (78), Germany (72), Indonesia (65), Vietnam (63), France (42), Poland (39), Pakistan (37), Netherlands (36), Italy (34), Sri Lanka (32), Belgium (32), Lebanon (24), Thailand (24), Israel (23), United Kingdom (20), Syria (20), Morocco (16), Madagascar (16), Cambodia (15), Nigeria (15).

The numbers

Notifications per year, herbs and spices
YearNotifications
2020181
2021358
2022304
2023321
2024329
2025314
2026 (to 8 Nov 2026)202
By type of notification
TypeNotificationsShare
Border rejection89144%
Alert63231%
Information for follow up1578%
Information for attention32916%
By risk decision
Risk decisionNotificationsShare
Serious1,30565%
Potentially serious28214%
Potential risk1397%
Not serious1186%
Undecided1337%
No risk322%
Products named most often
ProductNotifications
Black or white pepper269
Cumin238
Spice mixes108
Oregano92
Chillies71
Paprika66
Nutmeg65
Spices60
Turmeric57
Curry powder51
Countries of origin named most often
OriginNotificationsShare
India44422%
Brazil23812%
Türkiye19710%
China1397%
Egypt894%
Spain784%
Germany724%
Indonesia653%
Vietnam633%
Origin not given543%
France422%
Poland392%
What was found most often
FindingNotificationsShare
Salmonella42021%
Chlorpyrifos25112%
Pyrrolizidine alkaloids22111%
Pesticide residues1708%
Ethylene oxide1698%
Aflatoxins1327%
Ochratoxin A714%
Missing or incorrect health certificates and documents623%
Other finding492%
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)412%
Unauthorised novel food372%
Sudan dyes332%
Countries that notified most often
Notifying countryNotificationsShare
Germany50125%
Netherlands29615%
France1719%
Spain1427%
Belgium1327%
Poland915%
Italy764%
Switzerland653%

Get these by email

A free weekly digest of new notifications for the products and origins you pick. Or tell us you would pay EUR 29 a month for an email the same day the EU publishes one.

Choose what to watch

Related pages