Spices and seasonings in FDA food recalls

2,835 of the 29,386 FDA food recall records published since 2012 involve a spice or seasoning, which is 9.6% of every food recall the agency has reported. 1,194 are Class I, and the median one ran 6 months. Data last updated 2 September 2026.

Records of 29,386

2,835

Share of all recalls

9.6%

Class I of 2,835

1,194

Reported between

2012 to 2026

What is different about these records

The hazard that separates Spices and seasonings from the national picture is undeclared allergens: 38.6% of these records name it, against 26.5% of all FDA food recalls.

These records overlap heavily with grains, flour and pasta: 19.8% of them also fall under that category, against 6.7% across the corpus. A record can carry more than one category.

Why spices and seasonings recalls the way it does

Spices are a low-moisture, globally sourced, minimally processed ingredient that is added after any kill step, which is the combination that makes Salmonella in a spice lot capable of contaminating every product it was blended into.

Measured across these 2,835 records, undeclared allergens is the most frequent reason at 1,093, then salmonella at 445. A record can name more than one hazard, so these overlap and do not sum to 2,835.

What goes wrong

• Undeclared allergens1,093
• Salmonella445
• Listeria monocytogenes396
• Foreign material166
• Chemical contamination119
• Clostridium botulinum71
• Spoilage and mould65
• E. coli35
• Unapproved ingredients35
• Process deviation35
• Viral and parasitic contamination9

The regulation that governs it

Spices are under part 117 and have no rule of their own. Nothing in grinding or blending is a kill step, so the process control for a spice under §117.135 is a validated treatment applied before it goes into a product that will not be cooked again, and the supply-chain programme of part 117 subpart G is the control for a spice bought already treated. §101.22 defines what may be labelled simply as a spice and what has to be declared as a flavouring or a colour, which is where an undeclared allergen in a seasoning blend becomes a recall, and §179.26 governs the ionising radiation that is one of the permitted treatments. §101.22 also defines a spice as an aromatic vegetable substance whose significant function is seasoning rather than nutrition, and it excludes onions, garlic and celery, which have traditionally been regarded as foods and must be declared as such.

These are the parts of 21 CFR that bear on a spice or seasoning, reproduced in full on this site because title 21 is United States public domain.

• 21 CFR Part 11761Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food

By year

Counts are by the date the FDA reported the enforcement action. That date runs behind the date a firm started a recall, so the most recent year is always partial.

Firms with the most records

A firm appears here because it reported recalls, which is what a working recall procedure produces. A high count frequently reflects a single event split across many product codes rather than many separate failures.

• Newly Weds Foods Inc69
• Giant Eagle52
• Banner Smoked Fish Inc.33
• Adams Extract & Spice LLC29
• JCB Flavors, LLC29
• Con Yeager Spice Co29
• Gourmet Foods International27
• Queen Bee Gardens, LLC26
• Sauer Brands Inc - SLO26
• Griffith Labs U.S.A.24
• PIAZZA PRODUCE, INC.23
• Whole Foods Market22

Where the recalling firms are

The state is the location of the recalling firm, not where the product was sold. Distribution is recorded separately on each record.

• California435
• Washington251
• Oregon210
• New York186
• Illinois173
• Ohio149
• Pennsylvania143
• Wisconsin134
• Texas133
• New Jersey90
• Georgia74
• Minnesota67

Most recently reported

Questions

How many FDA recalls involve a spice or seasoning?

2,835 of the 29,386 FDA food recall records published since 2012 involve a spice or seasoning, which is 9.6% of all of them. 1,194 are Class I.

Why does spices and seasonings get recalled?

Spices are a low-moisture, globally sourced, minimally processed ingredient that is added after any kill step, which is the combination that makes Salmonella in a spice lot capable of contaminating every product it was blended into.

What is the most common reason for a spices and seasonings recall?

Undeclared allergens appears in 1,093 of the 2,835 records in this category, followed by salmonella with 445. A single recall can name more than one hazard, so these counts overlap.

How long does a spices and seasonings recall take?

The median recall in this category ran 6 months from the date the firm initiated it to the date the FDA terminated it. Termination means the agency judged that all reasonable effort had been made under 21 CFR 7.55; it does not mean no product remained in circulation.

All FDA food recall data