4 post-epidemic trends in the spice industry

The International Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex Alimentarius) on July 2 sorted out the global spice industry, listing the seven challenges it faces and the four major trends emerging.

The committee said that the value chain of the global spice industry has extended from the main producing areas of developing countries to the international spice trade network all over the world. The industry suffered heavy losses during the epidemic and faced challenges including but not limited to the following:

Raw material shortage: Many major spice production areas in developing countries across the globe have been severely impacted, resulting in a shortage of raw materials for the spice industry.

Insufficient manpower: After governments adopted blockade measures to control the spread of the epidemic, the flow of labor was blocked, resulting in insufficient manpower.

The infrastructure and support structure are chaotic: After the implementation of the new crown prevention measures, many major government offices providing trade support are understaffed, resulting in delays in government approvals and on-site procedures.

Unsecured production and safety: Because of the social isolation order, continuous production on the factory floor and the guarantee of product safety have also become major problems.

Difficult product quality testing: The new crown control measures have led to the closure of many third-party laboratories that test products, raw material quality and safety. In addition, small-scale production plants do not have their own testing facilities, making it difficult to guarantee product quality.

Sales issues: Due to the blockade, sales facilities around the world withdrew, such as the suspension of auctions and the closure of wholesale markets, impacting major producers. In terms of export business, the new crown brings more border control, and the existing export supply chain is forced to be interrupted.

Unfavourable economic environment: Although the entire industry is hit by economic turmoil, small-scale spice producers and processors will bear the brunt.


Four major trends emerge in the epidemic

The Codex Alimentarius Commission pointed out that the stakeholders in the global spice industry have awakened: the new operating rules naturally born from the chaos of the epidemic will continue into the post-new crown period. Like other industries, leveraging technology and introducing process changes will become the key to adapting to the new rules. Changes that have already occurred include:

Business automation: The global spice industry is moving towards accelerating business operation automation, on the one hand to improve food safety, on the other hand to solve the problem of insufficient manpower.

Information technology: The application of information technology solutions has increased worldwide. The spice industries of all countries that need to adopt the supervised planting model are deploying mobile applications to carry out continuous interaction with contract farmers without having to personally guide and intervene on site.

Quick testing tools: The spice industry is making more frequent use of quick testing tools used to ensure the quality of raw materials during procurement. For example, using a portable hygrometer to measure moisture, and using a near-infrared portable spectrophotometer to estimate curcumin in turmeric and pepper pigments are all gaining more applications in the Indian spices industry.

Digitization of approval process: Governments around the world are actively considering a de-papered online approval process to implement government support programs and carry out customs procedures.

However, the Codex Alimentarius Commission reminds that the support of governments for injured spice practitioners may vary in breadth and depth, and it will take time for these initiatives to be fully effective.