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Microbiological hazards in spices and dried aromatic herbs

Meeting report

Year of publication 2022

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 63 p.

Author FAO, WHO

Publisher FAO ; WHO ;

Product type Book (series)

ISBN 978-92-5-135792-7

Series title Microbiological Risk Assessment Series

Series number No. 27

Synopsis (short abstract) Spices and dried aromatic herbs impart flavour when added to food, and they may include many parts of the plant, including berries, flowers, leaves, roots and seeds. A number of different pathogens have been found in spices on the market, especially Salmonella spp., B. cereus and C. perfringens. There have also been several disease outbreaks associated with spices and dried aromatic herbs. An increased concern and attention to the safety of spices and dried aromatic herbs prompted, the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) to request FAO and WHO to undertake a risk assessment on microbiological hazards in these food commodities. An expert meeting of the FAO/WHO Joint Expert Meeting on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA) considered the global evidence on the burden of illness, prevalence and concentration of selected microbial hazards with respect to various spices and dried aromatic herbs, and interventions aimed at controlling them in these commodities. The experts developed the approach to rank the health risks related to the commodity-pathogen combinations, and assessed the performance of the existing Codex sampling plan for Salmonella against several contamination scenarios.

Cite this content as:

FAO and WHO. 2022. Microbiological hazards in spices and dried aromatic herbs. Meeting report. Microbiological Risk Assessment Series No. 27. Rome. 

https://doi.org/10.4060/cb8686en

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Language English

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