Masala buyers guide

Walking along the spice aisle of the supermarkets can be a fascinating experience. This is probably your chance to feel like you are walking along the spice bazaars of the old world like Gadodia Market, New Delhi, Jew Town, Kochi, or maybe the spice bazaars of Egypt or Dubai. To many of us, the visuals seen on travel shows of old and colorful spice markets are only going to remain on TV for a long time, especially with the travel restrictions due to Covid.

Spices are grown in only a few places around the world but travel across continents to reach consumers across the world after being processed in one country and then shipped to far-off destinations around the world.

Buying packaged spice can be very daunting when there are so many brands with different pack sizes and a lot of claims on labels. How do we understand what these labels convey?

The Green Dot: 

The green dot found on the top right corner indicates that the product/pack contains only pure vegetarian ingredients. This can be a reassurance to pure vegetarians. Most masala brands may have a chicken or mutton masala pack but with a green dot that may appear confusing. The green dot indicates the presence of vegetarian ingredients, meaning these masala packs can be used to also prepare a vegetarian curry recipe.

The Brown Dot: 

The brown dot means the pack contains non-vegetarian ingredients or derivatives of non-vegetarian products such as eggs, egg powder, gelatin, dehydrated meat products, etc.

FSSAI: 

FSSAI stands for the Food Safety Standards Authority of India. This is mandatory for all food products in the country and every pack has to have the FSSAI logo along with the license number given to the manufacturer. This needs to be in the prescribed size and color as stipulated by the FSSAI in its labeling requirements.

AGMARK:

The Agmark logo may not be familiar to the younger generation of consumers, but older people will recognize the logo instantly. This is a voluntary certification issued by the Government of India for food brands for complying with the specifications laid out by the Agmark authority. The Agmark logo is popular with ghee, honey, spice brands, and particularly for turmeric powder. The Agmark logo still has its appeal among consumers.

ISO 22000:

An ISO 22000 certified company indicates that the company has a food safety and quality management system. The ISO 22000 certification is one of the recognized food safety management systems under the GFSI 

(Global Food Safety Initiative)

BRC: 

The BRC logo on a pack indicates that the company has a food safety system that follows the British Retail Consortium standards for food safety. BRC is one of the most advanced food safety certifications. This was formed in 2002 with the merger of the British Retailers Association and Retailers Consortium.

ISO 9001:2015: 

The ISO 9001:2015 certified company logo on a food pack only indicates that the company has a quality management system and is not a guarantee of quality.

Ingredients & Nutritional Information:

In these days of increased health awareness and interest in immunity-boosting foods, it is a good idea to be a label reader and understand what ingredients go into your masala powder. Look out for hard-to-understand words and abbreviations that are confusing. Vague descriptions such as spices and condiments on masala packs are best avoided if you do not know what the specific spices and condiments are. Look at approved flavor enhancers and confusing numbers such as E635 that is chemically named as Disodium 5' - ribonucleotides/I+G compounds; E212 (Potassium benzoate) and E621 (Monosodium glutamate). These have no place on a masala pack.

Best Before Date:

The best before date on spice and food packs is a guide to the date by which the product should be ideally consumed. It should be remembered that for dry food products like spice and masala powders, which are primarily used for flavor and aroma, the product may not spoil by the best before date but may lose its aroma and taste, which defeats the very purpose of using the spice.

The next time you buy a pack of spice, it will be a good idea to look at both the manufacturing date and the best before date and choose a brand closest to the manufacturing date. There are brands like Thillais that offer a six-month best before date, keeping in mind that spice powders tend to lose aroma and taste rapidly after six months.

If you are a kirana or a supermarket buyer, it would be a good idea to get their return policy for stock beyond the expiry date. A best before one year from the manufacturing date may mean that the brand may sit on your shelf or warehouse for a year only because it has a valid shelf life but occupies precious shelf space.

We trust this helps you in making a better purchase decision when you are out shopping for masala powders again.