FDA calls for use of pesticide to treat spices

Following a major outbreak of Salmonella linked to Black and Red Pepper, the Food and Drug Administration wants to put more pressure on the spice industry to ensure a safer supply.

Spices, as we’ve recently reported, are part of a larger group of food products facing lax inspection practices by the already lax regulatory agency. As we’ve also reported, the FDA struggles to maintain adequate health inspections at many food processors, and that lack of scrutiny has led to numerous food-borne bacteria outbreaks, hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses.

The FDA met with leaders of the spice industry to discuss potential measures to eliminate future outreaks linked to spices, an ingredient found in many pre-made foods, and of course, in pantries of nearly every home around the world.

One disturbing measure the FDA wants the spice industry to consider is the use of a pesticide, ethylene oxide. Other options to reduce contaminations and future outbreaks are irradiation, steam heating and fumigation.

A bill currently stalled in the Senate, according to a Washington Post report, would require spice manufacturers to take documented steps to remove contamination from their products. Foreign suppliers and sellers of imported foods would also be required to verify the safety of their products before they hit the domestic market.

At least 16 recalls have centered on contaminated spices in the U.S. since 2001. The current recall on Black and Red Pepper has been linked to 249 illnesses in 44 states, according to the report.