Christopher Columbus was actually on a quest for the exotic spices of the East, when he stumbled upon the Americas. The renowned explorer’s geographically misguided mission more than five centuries ago was just one example of how the hunger for spices has left its mark, often violently, on the history of large parts of the world.
Nowadays, whether we pound them with a pestle and mortar, simmer them in stews or bake them into cookies, the spices we use are as much a part of our cultural identities as our languages, favourite songs or sports teams.
But how confident can today’s consumers be that the little spice jars we buy in our local markets aren’t harbouring harmful levels of pesticides or other contaminants? And how can the farmers cultivating this array of flavours navigate the global trading system to earn a decent living?
These are some of the issues being addressed this month by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. This Commission, which oversees the global food standards compiled in the Codex Alimentarius, or “Food Code”, is adopting new standards on several commonly-used spices and culinary herbs: oregano, dried ginger, cloves and basil.
As well as levels of pesticides, the criteria also focus on microbial contaminants such as Salmonella and Bacillus cereus, which can infiltrate the spices at various stages of production.
So far, safety and quality standards have been set for a number of spices and culinary herbs including dried black, white and green pepper, cumin, thyme and dried garlic. It’s likely to take a while longer yet to cover all the 116 spices and culinary herbs which the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH) has identified.
But the process’s true importance lies in bringing order to a maze of different international standards and enabling spice growers to access the markets where they can get the fairest prices for their quality produce.