EU pesticide limits and ethylene oxide: what to ask your Indian spice supplier

The EU default limit: 0.01 mg/kg

Pesticide residues in food sold in the EU are governed by Regulation (EC) No 396/2005. Article 18(1)(b) sets a default maximum residue level of 0.01 mg/kg for products where no specific limit is set out in the regulation's annexes. In practice, a substance with no EU limit for a given spice is judged against that very low default.

That default matters because of what is happening around it. FreshPlaza reported on 23 July 2026, drawing on a report from Rural Voice, that the EU is proposing to remove import tolerances for pesticides no longer authorised in the EU. Under that proposal, the default limit of 0.01 parts per million (the same figure as 0.01 mg/kg) would apply to more imports. The same article says the EU has issued 365 food safety notifications against Indian products. It quotes UNIDO's finding that non-pesticide issues account for 81% of rejections and pesticide residues for 19%.

Read that last figure for what it is. Most rejections of Indian food have other causes, but residues are a real and recurring one, and a proposal is not yet a rule. If you import into the EU, check the current position with your own regulatory adviser. This article is trade information, not legal advice.

Cardamom at the EU border

The Dutch government's export-promotion agency CBI, in its guide to the EU cardamom market (updated 19 February 2025), says the main reason for banning cardamom from the European market is the presence of pesticide residues. It reports that between July 2021 and August 2024 there were 13 pesticide residue cases for cardamom in RASFF, the EU's rapid alert system, and that most concerned cardamom from India. It adds that when imports repeatedly violate food law, the frequency of official checks at the border goes up, and that "for cardamom, India is the only country currently subject to more frequent checks".

The FreshPlaza report describes a separate, wider pattern. It says that products such as sesame, chilli peppers, curry leaves, okra and some herbals face physical inspection and laboratory testing on 20% to 50% of consignments entering the EU. Cardamom is not among the products it names, so do not read that range as a cardamom figure. For cardamom, the source to rely on is CBI, which gives no percentage.

The practical reading for a buyer is simple. A cardamom consignment from India may be checked more often than the same product from another origin, so a supplier's residue evidence is part of your delivery risk, not a formality.

Ethylene oxide: how it reached Indian spices

Ethylene oxide (EtO) is described by the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (CFS) in its alerts as a pesticide, and the CFS notes that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it as a Group 1 carcinogen.

Eastern Eye, on 25 April 2024, reported RASFF data on EtO covering September 2020 to April 2024. It says 332 of the flagged products originated solely from India and that 60 were herbs and spices. This is secondary reporting of RASFF figures, so treat the numbers as indicative and check RASFF directly for current counts.

Two points from the Spices Board circulars are worth knowing. The May 2024 circular states that the Singapore Food Agency's limit for EtO in spices is 50 ppm, while Hong Kong has "zero tolerance". So the destination changes the acceptable result, and a COA that was fine for one market may not satisfy another. And the 2025 circular shows that an official certificate based on an analytical report is something an exporter can request for EEA destinations.

None of the items above concern cardamom or black pepper. The lesson is about the category: RASFF notifications since September 2020 include herbs and spices, and Indian-origin spice products have featured in EtO alerts in Hong Kong in both 2024 and 2026.

The US is a different issue

Buyers sometimes lump the US FDA into the same conversation. It is a separate matter. FDA Import Alert 99-19 is titled "Detention Without Physical Examination of Food Products Due to the Presence of Salmonella". It is about a microbiological hazard, not ethylene oxide, and it is firm-specific. Shipments from firms on its Red List may be held at the border without being physically examined, and the alert says the owner or consignee can seek release by submitting evidence that the product is free of Salmonella, such as a private laboratory analysis of a representative sample.

The Red List contains many Indian firms and products across spices, spice blends and other foods, and some entries date from 2026. In the sections of the page we read, we did not see cardamom among the Salmonella-flagged entries. For a US importer, the question to ask a supplier is whether the exporting firm is on any import alert, and whether the lot has been tested for Salmonella.

What buyers commonly ask for

There is no single list that fits every destination, and what your market requires is for you and your adviser to confirm. These are the documents and answers importers and food manufacturers commonly request from an Indian spice supplier before they commit to a lot.

Two habits make this easier. First, ask for these documents at the quotation stage, not after the order is placed. Second, keep the destination in every conversation: tell your supplier where the goods will be sold, because a certificate for one market is not a guarantee for another.

How PureNest can help

PureNest Ventures supplies Idukki-origin green cardamom, cardamom seed, black pepper and cloves from Kerala, India. We supply to retail, HoReCa, export and food-manufacturing buyers in India and overseas, and every order is quoted on request.

Our documents match the first and third items on that list. A product specification is agreed and shared with every quotation. Batches and lots are tested regularly by authorised laboratories, based on production and sourcing, and a Certificate of Analysis (COA) is issued for each tested batch or lot. Every shipment comes with a Certificate of Origin issued by the chamber of commerce. You can read more on our quality and documents page.

We also send a sample of the lot for your approval. Tell us the product, grade, quantity and destination, and request a quotation from this page.