2 surveys were completed to assess the presence of undeclared allergens and gluten in herb and spice products. The initial survey took place from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, in which the main objective was to obtain baseline information regarding the presence and levels of undeclared allergens in ground herbs and spices consisting of only 1 ingredient. 598 samples were tested, and 34% (203) of the samples were found to contain at least 1 undeclared allergen, including the milk protein beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), egg, hazelnut, peanut, sesame, soy, and gluten. These positive results mostly indicated the presence of gluten in imported products. The second, follow-up survey took place between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, and provided more in depth information regarding levels of undeclared allergens and gluten in imported herb and spice products. 359 samples were tested, and 23% (82) of the samples were found to contain at least 1 undeclared allergen, including milk proteins BLG and casein, egg, almond, hazelnut, peanut, sesame, soy, and gluten. These positive results were primarily due to the presence of undeclared gluten. In the 2015-16 survey, 3 spice products containing gluten were deemed to represent a health risk and were recalled. Another 3 products were recalled after the 2017-18 survey due to high levels of gluten, milk, and sesame.

Targeted surveys are used by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to focus its surveillance activities on areas of highest health risk. The information gained from these surveys provides support for the allocation and prioritization of the Agency’s activities to areas of greater concern. Originally started as a project under the Food Safety Action Plan (FSAP), targeted surveys have been embedded in the CFIA’s regular surveillance activities since 2013. Targeted surveys are a valuable tool for generating information on certain hazards in foods, identifying and characterizing new and emerging hazards, informing trend analysis, prompting and refining health risk assessments, highlighting potential contamination issues, as well as assessing and promoting compliance with Canadian regulations.