Food chains are susceptible to contaminations from food-borne hazards, including pathogens and
chemical contaminants. An assessment of the potential product-hazard combinations can be supported
by using multiple data sources. The objective of this study was to identify the main trends of food safety
hazards in the European spice and herb chain, and then, evaluate how the data sources can be used
during each step of a microbiological and a toxicological risk assessment. Thereafter, the possibilities and
limitations of the selected data sources for the risk assessment of certain hazards in spices and herbs are
examined. European governmental alerting and monitoring data and legislation were examined and
evaluated for particular product-hazard combinations. Pathogenic microorganisms, particularly Salmonella
spp. and pathogenic Bacillus spp., were identified as a potential concern in black pepper and dried
herbs, while mycotoxins like aflatoxin (B1) and ochratoxin A were a probable concern in chilies (including
chili powder and cayenne), paprika, and nutmeg. Evaluating multiple, accessible, data sources can
support several steps during the risk assessment process as seen for the hazard identification step.
Therefore, identifying the potential spice and herb food safety hazards in the chain and other specific
data can support risk assessors in compiling a comprehensive risk assessment.
© 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND
license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).