Finalisation of Quality Standards of Spices to Help India Address Trade Disputes

India, a leading producer and exporter of spices in the world markets, will benefit from the finalisation of quality standards for five spices by the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs, writes Sutanuka Ghosal.

Kolkata:The quality standards for five spices, namely small cardamom, turmeric, juniper berry, allspice and star anise have been finalised at the seventh session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) meeting held on January 29 to February 2 at Kochi. The move will help India resolve trade disputes concerning these spices in the global markets on the food safety and consumer protection front.

The spices export from India in 2023 was USD 3.95 billion (Rs 31,761 crore ). The growth in the current financial year has been about 6 per cent (figures available till August 23 ). From April to August of 2024, India exported 6,60310 tonnes of spices worth USD 1.77 billion as compared to 5,73198 tonnes of spices valued at USD 1.67 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year. After the Covid-19 pandemic, CCSCH7 was the first session of this committee to be conducted physically. In all, 109 delegates from 31 countries attended the session.

CCSCH has forwarded these five standards of spices to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) recommending for adoption at final Step 8 as full-fledged Codex standards. For the first time in this committee, the strategy of grouping spices was successfully implemented. In this manner, the committee finalised the first group standard for ‘spices derived from fruits and berries’ (covering three spices, namely juniper berry, allspice, and star anise) in the present session.

The draft standard for vanilla progressed to step five and would be subjected to one more round of scrutiny by member countries before being taken up for discussion in the next session of the committee. Proposals for the development of Codex standards for dried coriander seeds, large cardamom, sweet marjoram and cinnamon were put before the committee and were accepted. The committee will work on draft standards for these four spices in its forthcoming editions.

The 7th session of CCSCH witnessed the participation of a large number of Latin American countries for the first time. The next meeting of the committee will be conducted after 18 months. During the interim, electronic working groups (EWGs) chaired by various countries will continue the process of multinational consultation aimed at developing the standards, relying on science-based evidence.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), jointly established by FAO and WHO, is an international, intergovernmental body with membership of over 194 countries, which is based in Rome and is tasked with formulating internationally accepted standards about human food. The CAC conducts its work through various Codex committees, including the CCSCH, hosted by different member countries. The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) was established as one of the Commodity Committees under the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) in 2013. India has been hosting this prestigious committee since the beginning and Spices Board India serves as the Secretariat organisation, which organises the committee's sessions.

The standards of CAC are recognised by the WTO as international reference points for the resolution of trade disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection. The standards developed by the committees under the CAC, including the CCSCH, are voluntary, and the member countries of the CAC adopt and use them as reference standards to align their national standards. The works of CAC contribute to the harmonisation of food standards across the globe, facilitate fair global trade in food, and enhance food safety to safeguard the health of global consumers.