Herbs, herbal teas and spices
Product Standard for Small-scale Producer Organizations
This standard covers the purchase and sale of herbs, herbal teas and spices.
Herbs, Herbal Teas and Spices / Hierbas Aromáticas y Especias e Infusiones de Hierbas / Les herbes, les tisanes et les épices
EN | Fairtrade Standard for Herbs, Herbal Teas and Spices
ES | Criterio de Comercio Justo Fairtrade para Hierbas Aromáticas, Infusiones de Hierbas y Especias
FR | Standard du Commerce Équitable Fairtrade pour les herbes, les tisanes et les épices
PT | Critério do Comércio Justo para Ervas e Chás de Ervas e Especiarias
This standard covers the purchase and sale of herbs, herbal teas and spices. For the sections under certification and traceability (only), the standard also cover any derivatives.
The product Standard for Herbs, Herbal Teas and Spices applies to all herbs, herbal teas and spices in the Fairtrade Herbs and Spices list (see above) and to all countries inside Fairtrade's geographical scope.
Herbs consist of leaves, flowers, stems and roots from a variety of herbaceous plants. They include, for example: lemon verbena, dill, water mint, lemongrass, orange leaves, camomile, lemon balm, peppermint, borage, basil, celery, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme and caraway.
Spices consist of aromatic seeds, buds, roots, rhizomes, barks, pods, flowers or parts thereof, berries or other fruits from a variety of plants. They include, for example: pepper, capsicums (chillies and cayenne pepper), cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace, caraway, cumin, turmeric, cloves, cardamom and vanilla.
Herbs and spices are used either in fresh or in dried form, mainly to flavour foods but also for other food and non-food applications. If a product is also covered by another Fairtrade product Standard, the respective Standard applies and the product cannot be certified as an herb, herbal tea or spice.
For the camelia sinensis plant please refer to the Fairtrade Tea Standard.
Standard for Small-scale producer organizations
This product-specific standard applies to small-scale producer organizations as explained here. Together, the Fairtrade Standard for Small-scale Producer Organizations and the product standard above define the terms of trade. Please read both documents for further guidance.
Does your company want to trade this Fairtrade product?
Aspects of this product standard also apply to companies that wish to trade with producers. The product standard above works in conjunction with the Fairtrade Trader Standard to outline the terms of trade for this product.