Is there any risk of illness from eating herbs or spices?

Is there any risk of illness from eating herbs or spices

?

Very little. Depending on how they are farmed, harvested and processed, dried herbsand spices may harbor pathogenic such as E. coli O157:H7 and salmonella. That's because pathogenicbacteria may reside in the soil from which herbs and spices are cultivated. During harvesting,processing, and distribution, human hands can spread the pathogens from contaminated touncontaminated plant specimens.

During processing, dried herbs and spices typically are subject to a kill step to eliminatepathogenic bacteria. More often than not, the method of choice is irradiation, which is highly efficientin treating herbs and spices. Some consumers cringe at the thought of irradiated food, even thoughirradiation was approved for use on herbs and spices decades ago. That's because the amount ofradiation administered on herbs and spices isn't harmful. Additionally, more conventional kill stepssuch as heat pasteurization would degrade herbs and spices, both of which are heat sensitive.

Herbs and spices also may be subject to spoilage bacteria and mold growth, particularly whenexposed to moisture. When herbs and spices are stored in cool, dry places, spoilage and mold growthshouldn't be a problem. Nor should pathogenic growth. That's because herbs and spices are dry, andbacteria and mold require moisture to grow.

Some dried herbs and spices contain preservatives to retard bacterial growth.

Source(s):

FDA "Spices, Condiments, Flavors, and Crude Drugs"

Questia.com "The Growing Use of Irradiation to Preserve Food"

Drweil.com "Food Irradiation: Is Zapping Herbs Harmful?"

Egyptian Ministry of Trade & Industry "Herbs & Spices"

Sciencedirect.com "Assessment of the microbiological safety of dried spices and herbs in the UK"

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