Organic vs. Non-Organic Spices: Which Is The Better Option?

International Wholesale herbs and spices distributor, Grupo Canela helps us understand the difference between organic and non-organic spices.

Have you ever wondered why organic spices are marked up to double the cost sometimes? It may not feel worth it when the less expensive option is just as easy to reach for. Grupo Canela, wholesale spices suppliers, is educating us on why buying organic herbs and spices is in fact, the better option.

Non-Organic Spices

Herbs and spices are grown using irradiation and fumigation practices, which exposes them to radiation to kill off any bacteria and other contaminants. This process results in a carcinogenic by-product that will increase exposure to free radical damage. Non-organic spices and herbs are packed with chemicals by the time they get to your kitchen. This does not seem like a big deal, however, years of accumulated chemicals on your plate can make a huge impact on your health over time.

You also may be getting more than you bargained for when settling for non-organic herbs and spices.

The FDA does not require spice manufacturers to report when they are adding different ingredients to their products such as sugar, rice, salt, flour, artificial flavors, and contaminants.

According to the American Spice Trade Association, it is pretty much impossible to harvest wholesale herbs and spices without ridding them of natural defects; including mold, dead insects, feces, rat hairs, etc. Approximately 20% of wholesale non-organic herbs and spices can be made up of such defects.

Organic Spices

Certified organic spices do not have any ingredients that are not naturally occurring in the spice itself. When purchasing organic herbs and spices wholesale, you get the one ingredient you intended to buy, nothing more and nothing less.

Additionally, organic herbs and spices wholesale are supporting farmers. Only 40% of our spices are grown in the United States. The rest of our species are imported from countries like Madagascar, India, and Sri Lanka, where farmers are continuously working hard to produce the best spices possible. Organic spice distributors, such as Grupo Canela, make sure to use a fair-trade crop importation, to ensure the farmers are getting compensated fairly for their efforts.

The next time you are purchasing wholesale herbs and spices, it would definitely be the better option to pay the extra cost for organic herbs and spices.