Packaging is the least discussed and most consequential decision in a herb or spice contract. It determines whether the material that passes analysis at loading still passes at discharge, it drives a meaningful share of the landed cost, and it is where a surprising number of rejections originate. This is a practical guide for importers.
What packaging is actually protecting against
Four threats, in roughly this order of importance:
- Moisture. Dried botanicals are hygroscopic — they take up water from humid air. A container crossing climate zones goes through repeated warming and cooling cycles, and condensation on the container roof drips onto the cargo. Moisture uptake in transit is the leading cause of quality loss between loading and discharge.
- Volatile loss and oxidation. Aroma compounds escape and pigments oxidise. Both are slowed by barrier materials and by keeping the cargo cool and dark.
- Contamination. Odour uptake from neighbouring cargo, pest ingress, physical damage.
- Handling damage. Bags that split at the seam during stuffing or discharge.
The common formats
Polypropylene woven bags
The workhorse of the trade. Strong, inexpensive, stackable, and breathable — which is both the advantage and the limitation. Breathability suits dense, low-moisture seeds moving on short routes; it offers little protection to a hygroscopic product on a long humid voyage. A polyethylene liner converts a PP bag into a moisture barrier and is inexpensive relative to the value it protects.
Multi-wall paper sacks
Several plies of kraft paper, often with a polyethylene ply. Preferred for products where a paper contact surface is wanted and for many food-grade applications. Less resistant to rough handling and to wetting than PP; more presentable, and readily printed.
Bulk bags (FIBC)
For large volumes into an automated process. Fewer handling units, faster discharge, and lower labour cost at your end. Requires appropriate handling equipment and a food-grade liner.
Vacuum and compressed packing
For light, bulky material — leaf herbs above all — compression dramatically increases the mass per container and reduces oxygen exposure. It changes the appearance of the material on opening, which matters for whole-leaf products sold on looks, so confirm acceptability before specifying it.
Cartons and inner packs
Where the material is high-value, or where inner units are needed for handling in your process. Adds cost and volume; adds protection and convenience.
Choosing, in practice
Work through four questions in order:
- How hygroscopic is the product, and how long and humid is the route? Together these decide whether a liner is optional or essential.
- Is the constraint weight or volume? Light leaf material fills a container by volume; dense seed fills it by weight. Compression pays for itself on the first, not the second.
- What does your process need? Bag size should match what your operators or equipment handle without decanting.
- What does your market require? Food-contact compliance, recyclability, and labelling requirements are not optional and vary by destination.
Labelling and marking
Every shipping unit should allow the physical goods to be tied to the paperwork without ambiguity. As a baseline:
- Product name and botanical name where relevant
- Country of origin
- Net and gross weight
- Lot or batch identification
- Production or packing date, and best-before where applicable
- Producer or exporter identification
- Storage conditions
Market-specific requirements sit on top of this baseline: EU food information rules, US labelling requirements for the importer of record, GCC requirements including Arabic-language elements and Halal marking where applicable, and Chinese requirements including the facility registration reference. Confirm the current requirement with your broker at destination before artwork is printed — this is the single most common source of avoidable delay. See our GACC guide for the Chinese case.
Container loading
Good packaging is undone by poor stuffing. The measures that matter:
- Desiccant in the container for hygroscopic cargo on long or humid routes.
- Dunnage and floor protection to keep bags off the steel floor and away from the walls.
- Stable stacking that will not collapse when the vessel rolls.
- Clean, dry, odour-free container — inspected and photographed before stuffing.
- Photographic record of the loaded container and the seal number.
That photographic record is worth insisting on. When a claim arises, the difference between a settled claim and a disputed one is usually evidence of the condition at loading.
On arrival
Let the container equilibrate before opening in a humid environment, inspect and photograph before discharge, and store the material cool, dark and sealed. Quality lost in your own warehouse is not recoverable from the exporter, and the retention sample is the reference that settles which side of the chain the loss occurred on.
Checklist
- Bag type and liner specified, not assumed
- Bag size matched to your handling
- Volume-versus-weight constraint identified before booking
- Label content confirmed with the destination broker before printing
- Desiccant, dunnage and container inspection agreed
- Loading photographs and seal number provided
We ship in PP bags and paper sacks as standard, with liners, bag sizes and compression specified per contract. Tell us your route, your process and your market and we will propose the packing that fits — contact our export team.