We manufacture some blends within our facility with ingredients that contain allergens. When ingredients with allergens first arrive at our facility, we are careful to identify them, tag them and isolate them in a separate storage area. When we process products that have any of these allergens, we do a special cleanup afterwards to prevent the allergens from cross contamination. We provide full disclosure of all ingredients on our labels, so you can check there for any allergens you wish to avoid.
The term “spice” is defined in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations for specific labeling requirements. “Spice” is defined under 21 CFR Sec. 101.22(2) (2) The term spice means any aromatic vegetable substance in the whole, broken, or ground form, except for those substances which have been traditionally regarded as foods, such as onions, garlic and celery; whose significant function in food is seasoning rather than nutritional; that is true to name; and from which no portion of any volatile oil or other flavoring principle has been removed.
A refrigerator contains a slight humid environment which could alter the flavor of your herbs and spices and Spices Etc. does not recommend this storage method. However, as long as dried herbs and spices are stored in an air tight container we do recommend keeping larger quantities of herbs in a freezer if room is available.
We do not test on animals, we love them!
While spices and herbs are naturally gluten-free, we can test for gluten depending on customer specifications for an additional cost per batch. We don’t make gluten-free claims for any other products because even tiny amounts of gluten can be a problem, and these may be present in our facility or the facilities of our suppliers.
The Simpli RA line does not contain GMO’s. Please see the product’s identification sheet for full disclosure.
In order for a product to be kosher certified, a kosher certification company must inspect the production process from start to finish, checking every container and all conveying, processing and packaging machinery to ensure that nothing non-kosher can get into the food.
Simpli RA Rubs & Seasonings products are certified by The Orthodox Union.
Most Simpli RA Rubs & Seasonings are kosher. This information is on product labels and is also accessible online on each item information page.
We do not add monosodium glutamate (MSG) to any of our products. FDA regulations require that if MSG is added to a product it must be identified as monosodium glutamate on the label. Some of our ingredients may contain some naturally occurring glutamic acid, which can combine with sodium present in the product to naturally form MSG. While the FDA classifies MSG and glutamic acid as generally safe, people who are sensitive to MSG and glutamic acid may suffer from adverse reactions.
All of the food products and dietary supplements that we sell that have reportable nutrients (amounts significant enough to warrant reporting according to FDA food labeling regulations) will feature a Nutrition Facts Panel or Supplement Facts Panel on each item information web page. (See the reportablenutrients FAQ for more info.)
We do not regulate the methods our suppliers use to grow, harvest, and process the products we purchase from them. Processing may vary from crop to crop and amongst suppliers. The way in which a suppliers process their crops is often considered proprietary. They determine the best method to produce a high quality product. Our Quality Assurance department has researched and developed a set of specifications for each product that we offer, and we ensure all products meet those specs with a comprehensive quality program.
FDA food labeling regulations (21CFR101) exempt nutrient listings for foods that contain insignificant amounts of all of the nutrients and food components in the standard declaration of nutrition information. (An insignificant amount of a nutrient is defined as the amount that would show a zero in the nutrition labeling, or “less than 1 gram” in the case of total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, and protein.) Since the nutrient levels are based on the amount customarily consumed by a person at one “eating occasion” (defined by the FDA as 1/4 teaspoon), most spices do not meet the threshold of having reportable nutrients.
The potency of botanical products fades over time at different rates. Grinding exposes more surface area to the air, so ground spices lose their freshness more quickly than whole spices. As you can see in the table below, different parts of the plant age differently as well.
Our bottled spices and blends are freshness dated — the date the product is best used by for maximum freshness is printed on the bottom of each bottle. Check that date for unopened products. For opened packages, follow the guidelines below:
Whole spices and seasoning blends
Leaves and flowers — 1 to 2 years
Seeds and barks — 2 to 3 years
Roots — 3 years
Vanilla beans — 2 years
Others — 2 to 3 years
Ground spices and seasoning blends
Leaves — 1 year
Seeds and barks — 1 year
Roots — 2 years
Simply Spice Rubs purchases ingredients from reputable suppliers that are certified by the leading third-party organic certifier Quality Assurance International (QAI).
Yes, all organic products sold as certified organic in the United States are required to follow the U.S. standards and be certified by a USDA-accredited certifier.