Colour sets the price

Fennel is bought with the eye first. Fresh seed that has been harvested at the right stage and dried in shade is a bright, clean green. With age, sun exposure and poor storage it fades through dull green to yellow-grey. Buyers pay a clear premium for green, and the trade describes lots in those terms — single green, double green, and so on.

Two things follow for a buyer. First, colour is a proxy for crop year and storage in a way that no purity clause captures. Second, because green commands the premium, green is what gets faked.

Specify colour against a retained reference sample, not in words, and state the crop year alongside it. Colour words are used differently by every supplier; a sealed sample is not.

Added colouring matter: the screen to insist on

Dull fennel can be made to look bright with synthetic colour. This is a recognised adulteration in seed spices, and India’s own food standard for fennel requires the product to be free from added colouring matter, along with being free from mould, insects and rodent contamination.

The practical signal is counter-intuitive: natural fennel is not perfectly uniform in shade. Seed from one field varies slightly across a lot. A lot that is vividly, evenly green — particularly if it is cheap — is a reason to test rather than a bargain.

Require a test for added colouring matter on the shipped lot as a standing contract condition, not a one-off at supplier approval. Any compliant Indian supplier should be able to produce it without hesitation, because the domestic standard already prohibits added colour. A supplier who treats the request as unusual has answered a different question than the one you asked.

Volatile oil, and what sterilisation does to it

Fennel’s sweet, anise-like aroma comes from its volatile oil, in which anethole is the dominant component. Volatile oil is therefore the parameter that matters to tea blenders, confectionery makers and anyone whose product is judged on aroma — and it is routinely omitted from fennel specifications that stop at cleanliness and moisture.

Volatile oil declines with age, heat and grinding. It also declines with steam sterilisation, which is the route required for EU-bound spice because ethylene oxide is not approved for food use in the European Union, where the residue limit expressed as the sum of ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol is 0.05 mg/kg under Regulation (EC) No 396/2005.

Specify a volatile oil minimum with the test date stated, and agree explicitly whether the certificate figure is pre- or post-sterilisation. For a tea or mouth-freshener application this single clause decides whether the product you receive smells like the sample you approved.

Estragole: the European question

Fennel naturally contains estragole, a constituent that has drawn regulatory and scientific attention in Europe, particularly in relation to herbal infusions and products intended for children. The position has evolved over time and differs by product category.

If you are supplying fennel tea, infusions, or any product aimed at infants or young children in the European Union or United Kingdom, establish the current regulatory position for your specific category with your own regulatory adviser before contracting, and decide whether estragole needs to be an analysed parameter in your specification. Do not rely on a supplier’s assurance, or on this page, for a position that can change.

Grades and forms

Europe quality and Singapore quality are trade shorthand, not standards with fixed values, and different suppliers use them differently. Put the underlying numbers in the contract — extraneous matter, defective seed, moisture, colour reference and volatile oil — and let the trade name be shorthand only.

Processed forms include fennel powder (specify mesh, and note that volatile oil falls rapidly once ground), roasted fennel, sugar-coated fennel for mouth-freshener blends, and fennel oil or oleoresin, which is quoted separately from the whole seed.

Reference specification

Origin and season

Fennel is a rabi crop, sown from October into November and harvested from February into April. Gujarat and Rajasthan are the principal producing states, with Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh also contributing. The Unjha mandi in Mehsana district, Gujarat, is the largest seed-spice trading hub in Asia and the reference market for the trade.

RNG Agro Exports is based at Rajkot in Gujarat, within the same state as Unjha, which keeps the chain from mandi to container short.

Colour is at its best in fresh crop. If your product is judged on appearance — retail packs, whole-spice presentation, mouth freshener — contract in the new-crop window from March onward and specify the crop year rather than buying against general availability.

Documentation

• Spices Board of India registration — the spice-specific credential, verified first; plus APEDA registration and FSSAI licence
• Certificate of analysis: colour reference, volatile oil with test date, moisture, extraneous matter, defective seed, total and acid insoluble ash, with methods stated
• Added colouring matter test result on the shipped lot
• Microbiological report: Salmonella in 25 g, total plate count, yeast and mould, E. coli
• Pesticide residue report against the destination list, including ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol for EU consignments
• Sterilisation record naming the method, with validation data for steam
• Aflatoxin report; heavy metals where specified
• Estragole analysis where your category requires it
• Organic scope certificate and lot-level transaction certificate where organic is contracted
• Phytosanitary certificate and certificate of origin
• Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading declaring HS 0909.61 for whole seed or 0909.62 for crushed or ground

Packing and container economics

Fennel is light. A container fills by volume well before it approaches any weight limit, which places fennel closer to coriander than to cumin on the freight spectrum and makes packing format a real cost lever.

How to qualify an Indian fennel supplier

1. Verify Spices Board of India registration first, then the Importer Exporter Code from DGFT.
2. Ask for an added colouring matter result from a recent shipped lot before discussing price.
3. Ask for volatile oil with the test date, and whether the figure is pre- or post-sterilisation.
4. Request a sealed retained colour sample and agree colour against it.
5. Establish whether the counterparty cleans, sorts, sterilises and grinds in-house or buys packed material.
6. For EU or UK supply in tea, infusion or infant categories, settle the estragole position with your regulatory adviser before contracting.
7. Start with a trial quantity and test colour, volatile oil, added colour and microbiology independently.

Frequently asked questions

Why does green colour matter?

It is the main price driver and a proxy for crop year and storage. Specify colour against a retained sample and state the crop year.

How do I check for artificial colouring?

Require an added colouring matter screen on the shipped lot. India’s own standard requires fennel to be free from added colour, so a compliant supplier can produce the result readily. Vivid, perfectly uniform green at a low price is a reason to test.

Europe quality or Singapore quality?

Trade shorthand for cleaning standard, not fixed standards. Europe quality is the tighter, usually sortex-cleaned specification. Put the actual numbers in the contract.

Why specify volatile oil?

It carries the aroma, and it falls with age, grinding and steam sterilisation. Specify a minimum, the test date, and whether the figure is pre- or post-treatment.

What about estragole in Europe?

Fennel naturally contains estragole, which has drawn regulatory attention in Europe particularly for infusions and children’s products. Confirm the current position for your category with your own regulatory adviser.

How much loads into a container?

Around 13 to 15 MT in a 20-foot container. Fennel is volume limited, so freight per tonne is relatively high.

What is the HS code?

HS 0909.61 for whole fennel seed and 0909.62 for crushed or ground. Confirm the eight-digit national sub-heading with your broker.

• It is the main price driver and a proxy for crop year and storage. Specify colour against a retained sample and state the crop year.
• Require an added colouring matter screen on the shipped lot. India’s own standard requires fennel to be free from added colour, so a compliant supplier can produce the result readily. Vivid, perfectly uniform green at a low price is a reason to test.
• Trade shorthand for cleaning standard, not fixed standards. Europe quality is the tighter, usually sortex-cleaned specification. Put the actual numbers in the contract.
• It carries the aroma, and it falls with age, grinding and steam sterilisation. Specify a minimum, the test date, and whether the figure is pre- or post-treatment.

Specify colour against a retained reference sample, not in words, and state the crop year alongside it. Colour words are used differently by every supplier; a sealed sample is not.