QUALITY & SPECIFICATIONS
How to read a spice specification and Certificate of Analysis
A practical framework for separating the agreed product specification from sample or lot results, test methods, certificates and supplier claims.
01
The specification and the CoA are not the same document
A buyer specification describes what the supplied product is expected to meet. A Certificate of Analysis or laboratory report records results for the sample or lot that was tested. The specification is therefore the target; the CoA is evidence against selected parts of that target.
Treating the two as interchangeable creates risk. A CoA can contain excellent results but still omit a parameter the buyer requires, use a different method, refer to a different lot or fail to establish product identity.
02
Start with the product-definition block
A useful spice specification normally begins with identity and commercial form: common and botanical identity where relevant, origin, whole/cut/ground form, grade or quality reference, particle or cut size, intended use and pack format.
CBI's 2026 buyer-requirements guidance for the European spices and herbs market highlights recurring commercial criteria such as cleanliness, moisture, particle size, odour and flavour, alongside legal and buyer food-safety requirements.
- Identity and form.
- Physical and sensory criteria.
- Moisture / cleanliness / foreign matter.
- Particle size for ground or cut products where relevant.
- Packing and storage conditions.
03
Food-safety parameters must be selected for the real risk
Low-moisture foods can still carry microbial, chemical and physical hazards. Codex CXC 75-2015 includes an annex specifically addressing spices and dried culinary herbs, while CXC 78-2017 addresses prevention and reduction of mycotoxins in spices.
The right test panel depends on the spice, process, destination and buyer programme. Pesticide residues, Salmonella or other microbiology, mycotoxins, heavy metals and authenticity risks should not be converted into one universal CeyLanka table.
04
Read laboratory evidence with four questions
Before treating a result as commercial evidence, check what was sampled, when it was sampled, which method was used and whether the laboratory/scope is acceptable to the buyer or regulator.
- Does the report identify the correct sample or lot?
- Does it test the parameters the buyer actually specified?
- Are units, limits and methods directly comparable?
- Is the report current enough for the buyer and shipment programme?
Research note
How to use this guide
This page is buyer decision support, not a legal opinion, laboratory certificate or shipment approval. Requirements that can change are linked back to the live authority. For an actual quotation, the product, source, lot, destination and required evidence still have to be verified.
Turn research into a requirement