What Is ETO in Spices?

What is ETO in spices?

ETO is ethylene oxide, a gas once used to sterilise spices. The EU banned it as a pesticide in 1991 and sets a 0.1 mg/kg default residue limit. Detected ETO drives RASFF recalls; the compliant alternative is steam sterilisation with testing.

Why ETO is a problem

Ethylene oxide kills microbes effectively, which is why it was used to sterilise spices, but it and its reaction product are health hazards. The EU banned it as a pesticide in 1991 and applies a 0.1 mg/kg default limit, so any measurable residue can put a lot outside the law and into a RASFF alert.

Because the limit is effectively at the detection floor, ETO is a zero-margin issue for EU-bound spice. A single contaminated batch anywhere in the supply chain can trigger a recall.

The compliant route

The accepted alternative is steam sterilisation, carried out by a processor, followed by microbial and ETO testing before shipment. Sourcing discipline matters too: ETO can enter from a supplier who sterilised upstream, so the whole chain has to be ETO-free, not just the final step.

Build ETO testing into the pre-shipment dossier for EU and increasingly for other markets, and keep the certificates with the shipment.

Frequently asked

Can ETO be washed off spices?

No. ETO residue is not removed by washing. Compliance comes from never using it and sterilising by steam instead, then testing to confirm.