The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking to take a closer look at spices in light of a nationwide outbreak of salmonella illness which has been recently linked to black and red pepper. To date, the FDA has identified 16 U.S. recalls since 2001 of tainted spices including basil, sage and peppers.In an effort to improve the safety of these staples of cooking, the FDA is seeking to have the spice industry implement three methods to rid spices of bacteria including irradiation, steam heating or fumigation with ethlylene oxide which is a pesticide. Congress has also sought to mandate that spice importers verify the safety of foreign suppliers and food imports under the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).
Statistics produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirm that the average American diet now includes the subtantial use of spices. The USDA reports that the average American now consumes roughly 3.5 pounds of spices, up significantly from the late 1960s when that figure was closer to 1.2 pounds. This could reflect exposure to a wider variety of food-focused television shows, the growth of various ethnic and fusion cuisines, increased travel abroad and the wider availability of spices in general. A detailed list of spices is maintained by the American Spice Trade Association for reference.
Questions or comments about this article? E-mail cooklikejackie@gmail.com
