Specifying coriander, cumin, fennel for an export-ready private-label curry powder spec

Sri Lankan spices and essential oils earned USD 119.04 million in the first quarter of 2025, 71.43% above the same quarter a year before (Sri Lanka Export Development Board, 2025). For a local brand owner with a curry powder that already moves at home, a number like that reads as an invitation. The blend is rarely the obstacle. The document describing it usually is.

Most first briefs arrive at a contract manufacturer as a recipe: this much coriander, this much cumin, a little fennel, roasted until the colour looks right. A recipe tells the mill what to put in. A spec tells the mill what to turn away at goods-in, and it does that one raw material at a time. Coriander, cumin and fennel are the three seeds where that difference shows up first, because their limits are nothing like each other.

A curry powder spec is four documents, not one

Sri Lanka publishes a standard for the blend and separate standards for the seeds. SLS 134:2017 sets requirements and test methods for curry powder. SLS 1565:2017 covers coriander whole and ground, SLS 1633:2019 covers cumin, and SLS 1632:2019 covers fennel (Sri Lanka Standards Institution). The blend standard does not describe the seeds, and the seed standards say nothing about the blend.

That split matters because the two documents fail in different places. A blend that meets SLS 134 can still have been built from coriander carrying twice the soil load it should. The blend test averages the problem away. The goods-in test does not.

The test methods sit in a third place again. SLS 186 carries the parts a laboratory actually runs: Part 2:2011 for extraneous matter, Part 3:2008 for total ash, Part 4:2008 for acid-insoluble ash, Part 5:2008 for moisture, Part 11:2008 for volatile oil by hydrodistillation, and Part 12:2016 for degree of fineness. Sampling runs under SLS 310:2007. A spec that names a limit without naming the method is an argument waiting to happen when a buyer’s laboratory returns a different figure.

What do coriander, cumin and fennel actually have to hit?

The European Spice Association Quality Minima Document Rev. 5 (2018) is the reference most European buyers write into a purchase contract, and it sets four numbers per seed: total ash, acid-insoluble ash, moisture, and volatile oil. Ash, acid-insoluble ash and volatile oil are stated on a dry basis. The three seeds land in three different places.

Parameter	Coriander seed	Cumin seed	Fennel seed
Total ash, % maximum	7.0	14	10
Acid-insoluble ash, % maximum	1.5	3.0	2.0
Moisture, % maximum	12	13	12
Volatile oil, ml/100 g minimum	0.6	1.5	1.5
Extraneous matter, % by weight maximum	1	1	1
Water activity, target maximum	0.65	0.65	0.65

Each of those four numbers is doing a specific job, and a buyer reading a certificate of analysis should know which is which. Volatile oil is aroma strength, so it is the number that decides whether a blend tastes the way the sample did. Acid-insoluble ash is the soil and sand fraction, so it is the honest measure of how the seed was dried and how well it was cleaned. Total ash catches mineral matter more broadly. Moisture governs mould risk and shelf life, and it is the one that moves during a Sri Lankan monsoon month.

The coriander figure is the one that surprises people. At 0.6 ml/100 g minimum volatile oil against cumin and fennel at 1.5, coriander is specified as the bulk and body of the blend, not the aroma driver. A brand that raises its coriander percentage to hold a price point is quietly cutting the aroma of the finished powder, and no single-seed test will flag it.

There is a gap worth knowing before a buyer asks about it. Codex Alimentarius has an adopted standard for cumin, CXS 327-2017. It has none for coriander seed or fennel seed. The Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs agreed in 2024 to begin new work on dried seeds including coriander, which means that for now the numeric anchors for two of the three seeds are the Sri Lankan standards and the European trade minima, not Codex.

Cleanliness gets decided before the mill, not after

Grinding hides things. Once a seed is milled, a stone is a fraction of the acid-insoluble ash and an insect fragment is a microscopy count, and neither can be picked out of the bag. The American Spice Trade Association cleanliness specifications, effective 28 April 1999 and still the version in general trade circulation, set the whole-seed limits that a goods-in inspection is meant to enforce.

Cleanliness parameter	Coriander	Cumin seed	Fennel seed
Whole dead insects, by count	4	4	Special footnote
Mammalian excreta, mg/lb	3	3	Special footnote
Other excreta, mg/lb	10.0	5.0	Special footnote
Mould, % by weight	1.00	1.00	1.00
Insect defiled or infested, % by weight	1.00	1.00	1.00
Extraneous foreign matter, % by weight	0.50	0.50	0.50

Fennel sits under a footnote rather than a flat number. If more than 20% of the sub-samples contain rodent or other excreta or whole insects, or the lot averages 3 mg/lb of mammalian excreta, the lot has to be reconditioned. A spec that copies a single figure into the fennel row is misstating the rule, and a buyer’s technical team will notice.

Two further limits belong in the raw material section rather than the finished-product section. The European trade minima cap extraneous matter for spices at 1% by weight and treat any foreign object larger than 2 mm as a critical limit. Water activity carries a recommended target maximum of 0.65, which is the number that actually predicts whether a powder holds for a twelve-month shelf life in a Sri Lankan warehouse.

The R&D team at the Matale facility sees the same gap in most first spice briefs: the brief specifies the blend ratio to one decimal place and says nothing at all about the seeds going in. The practical consequence is a repeat sample round. A brief that arrives with goods-in limits already stated moves to a locked spec in one iteration rather than three, which is the difference between a two-week and a six-week R&D window.

Why does the finished blend get tested and not just the seeds?

Because a curry powder is legally a mixture of dried spices, and EU contaminant law names that category directly. Regulation (EU) 2023/915, consolidated as at 1 January 2025, sets aflatoxin B1 at 5.0 micrograms per kilogram and the sum of B1, B2, G1 and G2 at 10.0 micrograms per kilogram for dried spices including pepper, chilli, nutmeg and turmeric, and for mixtures of dried spices containing one or more of them. Ochratoxin A sits at 15 micrograms per kilogram for dried spices generally.

Almost every Sri Lankan curry powder contains chilli or turmeric or both. That single sentence pulls the finished blend inside the aflatoxin category as a product in its own right. Clean certificates of analysis on each incoming seed do not discharge the obligation, because the tested article is the powder in the pouch. A spec that only sets inbound limits has left the last test unowned.

Two more finished-product gates travel with the same shipment. Salmonella must be absent, tested on a 25 g portion under the EU microbiological criteria regulation. Ethylene oxide is not permitted, and the European trade minima state the ban explicitly covers material treated outside the EU before importation, so an origin-side fumigation decision is an import decision. Ethylene oxide appeared in 16 European rapid-alert notifications in 2025, and Sudan dyes in spice mixes in another 9 (CBI, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, 2025). Heat or steam treatment for insect control is the route that survives the border.

The customs line where fennel disappears

Three seeds do not get three tariff lines. Coriander has its own pair, 0909.21 whole and 0909.22 crushed or ground. Cumin has 0909.31 and 0909.32. Fennel has neither: it shares 0909.61 and 0909.62 with anise, badian, caraway and juniper berries. The finished blend moves under 0910.91, the line for mixtures. A first-time exporter who assumes a dedicated fennel code exists will hold up a declaration looking for it.

Seed	HS code, whole	HS code, ground	Sri Lankan standard
Coriander	0909.21	0909.22	SLS 1565:2017
Cumin	0909.31	0909.32	SLS 1633:2019
Fennel	0909.61 (shared)	0909.62 (shared)	SLS 1632:2019
Curry powder (the blend)	0910.91	0910.91	SLS 134:2017

The shared code has a second effect worth planning around. Because fennel is aggregated with four other commodities in the trade statistics, there is no clean public volume series to benchmark a fennel purchase against. Price discovery on that one line has to come from supplier quotations rather than published trade data.

What does a first private-label curry powder run take in units and weeks?

Once the spec is written, the production maths is short. The spice line at Matale roasts, grinds and blends at 100 to 200 kg per hour, so a first commercial run of a private-label curry powder is a part-day booking rather than a scheduling problem. The constraint that actually sets the calendar is the clearance window, not the line.

Service snapshot: private-label curry powder at Silk Foods Ceylon Service: an existing SFC curry powder formulation relabelled under the buyer's brand, or the buyer's own blend produced under contract manufacturing. First-run MOQ: 1,500 units per SKU in kraft pouch or jar formats. Raw material minimum runs from 50 kg per SKU, with tiers at 500, 1,000 and 2,500 kg. Line: roast, grind and blend at 100 to 200 kg per hour at the Matale facility. Timings: sample dispatch in 1 to 2 weeks; purchase order to dispatch in 2 to 3 weeks on an existing locked spec; 6 to 10 weeks if the in-house R&D team formulates first. Clearance: SLSI packaged-food submission runs on its own 4 to 8 week window and should be scheduled in parallel with label approval, not after it. Cert coverage: BRCGS- and FSSC 22000 V6-audited, with SLSI clearance and Sri Lanka Food Act 1980 compliance on every retail SKU.

For a brand owner planning an export-ready SKU, the sequence that works is to lock the goods-in limits first, run the sample against them, then start the SLSI submission and the label artwork on the same week. Reversing that order is how a launch date slips by a month without anything going wrong on the line.

Frequently asked questions

What is the private-label MOQ for curry powder at Silk Foods Ceylon?

First-run MOQ is 1,500 units per SKU in kraft pouch or jar formats, with a raw material minimum from 50 kg per SKU and tiers at 500, 1,000 and 2,500 kg. The Matale spice line roasts, grinds and blends at 100 to 200 kg per hour, so a first run is a part-day booking.

Which Sri Lankan standards apply to a curry powder and its ingredients?

SLS 134:2017 covers curry powder itself. The seeds have their own standards: SLS 1565:2017 for coriander, SLS 1633:2019 for cumin and SLS 1632:2019 for fennel (Sri Lanka Standards Institution). Test methods sit in SLS 186 and sampling in SLS 310:2007.

What are the moisture and volatile oil limits for coriander, cumin and fennel?

The European Spice Association minima (Rev. 5, 2018) set moisture maxima of 12% for coriander and fennel and 13% for cumin. Minimum volatile oil is 0.6 ml/100 g for coriander and 1.5 ml/100 g for both cumin and fennel, stated on a dry basis.

Does a finished curry powder need its own aflatoxin test for export?

Yes. Regulation (EU) 2023/915 applies aflatoxin limits of 5.0 micrograms per kilogram for B1 and 10.0 for the sum of B1, B2, G1 and G2 to mixtures of dried spices containing pepper, chilli, nutmeg or turmeric. Clean inbound certificates do not replace the finished-blend test.

Can Silk Foods Ceylon develop a curry powder formulation from a brief?

Yes. The in-house R&D team at Matale formulates from a brief and typically runs 2 to 4 sample iterations before a spec locks, which is a 6 to 10 week window. A brief that already states goods-in limits for each seed usually closes in fewer iterations.

How Silk Foods Ceylon can help

For founders taking a first curry powder SKU from a kitchen recipe to an export-ready spec, Silk Foods Ceylon (SFC) operates a cellular-manufacturing facility in Matale with a roast, grind and blend spice line running at 100 to 200 kg per hour. Private-label curry powder starts at a 1,500-unit first-run MOQ per SKU, with raw material from 50 kg per SKU and tiers at 500, 1,000 and 2,500 kg. Samples dispatch in 1 to 2 weeks and a locked spec moves from purchase order to dispatch in 2 to 3 weeks; if the in-house R&D team formulates first, plan a 6 to 10 week window. The facility is BRCGS- and FSSC 22000 V6-audited, with SLSI submission support and Sri Lanka Food Act 1980 label compliance inside the standard engagement.

To brief a project, email b2b@esilkroute.com.lk or call +94 76 441 0389 / +94 76 918 5744.

Related reading: private-label curry powder for the Sri Lankan supermarket shelf, specifying black pepper grades for a private-label spice line, cardamom grading for a private-label spice brand, specifying nutmeg, mace and vanilla for a premium spice line, specifying garlic, mustard and fenugreek for condiment SKUs, the SLSI packaged-food submission step by step, and contract manufacturing certifications in Sri Lanka.

Sources

• Sri Lanka Export Development Board (2025), “Sri Lanka’s Exports Surge in First Quarter 2025”: spices and essential oils earnings of USD 119.04 million in Q1 2025, 71.43% above the same quarter of 2024. https://www.srilankabusiness.com/news/sri-lankas-exports-surge-in-first-quarter-2025-fueling-economic-prosperity-and-global-competitiveness.html (retrieved 2026-07-31).
• Sri Lanka Standards Institution (2021 list), catalogue of Sri Lanka Standards for spices: SLS 134:2017 curry powder, SLS 1565:2017 coriander, SLS 1633:2019 cumin, SLS 1632:2019 fennel, with SLS 186 test methods and SLS 310:2007 sampling. http://srilankanspices.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/SLSI-Standards.pdf (retrieved 2026-07-31). Standard texts are purchased from https://www.slsi.lk.
• European Spice Association (2018), “Quality Minima Document” Rev. 5, Appendix I: total ash, acid-insoluble ash, moisture and volatile oil minima for coriander, cumin and fennel; extraneous matter 1% for spices; water activity target maximum 0.65; foreign objects above 2 mm as a critical limit; ethylene oxide ban covering material treated outside the EU. https://www.srilankabusiness.com/pdf/read_more_products/annex_8_esa_doc_on_minima_quality_standards.pdf (retrieved 2026-07-31).
• American Spice Trade Association (effective 28 April 1999), “Cleanliness Specifications for Spices, Seeds and Herbs”: whole insect, excreta, mould, insect-defiled and extraneous matter limits for coriander, cumin seed and fennel seed. https://www.astaspice.org/food-safety-technical-guidance/best-practices-and-guidance/cleanliness-specifications/ (retrieved 2026-07-31).
• European Union (2023, consolidated 1 January 2025), Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food, Annex I: aflatoxin B1 at 5.0 and the sum of B1, B2, G1 and G2 at 10.0 micrograms per kilogram for listed dried spices and for mixtures of dried spices containing them; ochratoxin A at 15 micrograms per kilogram. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02023R0915-20250101 (retrieved 2026-07-31).
• CBI, Netherlands Enterprise Agency (2025), “Buyer requirements for herbs and spices”: Salmonella absence tested on 25 g portions; ethylene oxide not permitted with 16 rapid-alert issues in 2025 and 9 involving Sudan dyes in spice mixes; heat treatment recommended in place of fumigation. https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/spices-herbs/buyer-requirements (retrieved 2026-07-31).
• United States International Trade Commission (2026), Harmonized Tariff Schedule: 0909.21 and 0909.22 coriander, 0909.31 and 0909.32 cumin, 0909.61 and 0909.62 covering anise, badian, fennel, coriander, cumin, caraway and juniper berries, and 0910.91 for spice mixtures. https://hts.usitc.gov/ (retrieved 2026-07-31).
• Codex Alimentarius (2017, amended 2022), CXS 327-2017 Standard for Cumin; and the 2024 report of the seventh session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs agreeing new work on dried seeds including coriander. https://www.indianspices.com/box7_codex_ccsch.html (retrieved 2026-07-31).

Written by the Silk Foods Ceylon Team. Silk Foods Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd. is a BRCGS- and FSSC 22000 V6-audited contract manufacturer in Matale, Sri Lanka, offering contract manufacturing, private labelling, co-packing, and in-house R&D for local Sri Lankan brand owners, FMCG companies, hotel and restaurant groups, and distributors. To brief a project: b2b@esilkroute.com.lk, +94 76 441 0389, or +94 76 918 5744.