Paprika, turmeric and saffron. Declared as spice and coloring, or by name.
The provision
Paprika, turmeric, and saffron or other spices which are also colors, shall be declared as spice and coloring unless declared by their common or usual name.
Which gives a choice
Either the compound declaration spice and coloring, or the specific name. Both are permitted and they say different things.
And three are named
Paprika, turmeric and saffron, with or other spices which are also colors extending it.
So the category is functional rather than closed
Any spice that is also a color falls in it, and the three named are illustrations.
The reason is that colors have their own rules
A substance used to color has to be declared as such, and a spice used for both purposes would otherwise hide one of them.
Which is a labeling matter and not a container one
Nothing about paprika changes the jar. It changes what the ingredient list says.
Though the color itself is a container question
A pigmented spice stains, and 62 of the 205 containers here are clear. A turmeric stain on a clear jar is visible and permanent.
And light degrades the pigment as well as the oil
21 amber containers, 2 dark amber, 20 black, 55 white and 4 frosted out of 205. So the protective options exist and clear is the single commonest choice.
Which is the trade on this shelf
A spice is bought partly on how it looks, and showing it costs both pigment and volatile oil.
The declaration choice has a marketing dimension too
Spice and coloring is less appealing on a label than paprika, which is presumably why the alternative exists.
Neither choice is ours to make
We sell the jar. What the ingredient list says is a labeling decision.
And a color is a separate regulatory category
Which is why the provision exists: a substance doing two jobs would otherwise be declared under one of them and hide the other. The declaration names both.
The spice lists are cross-referred and not quoted
The section points at 21 CFR 182.10 and part 184, and this property does not enumerate them.
References
21 CFR 101.22(a)(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." The same paragraph provides that "paprika, turmeric, and saffron or other spices which are also colors, shall be declared as 'spice and coloring' unless declared by their common or usual name", and cross-refers to the spice lists in 21 CFR 182.10 and part 184, which are not enumerated here. The definition addresses a spice from which volatile oil has been removed and is not a shelf-life rule.
law.cornell.eduThe Davis Pack Supply catalog, measured 19 October 2026. 509 rows: 205 containers and 304 closures, which is one of the largest shelves in this library. 30 to 18,927 mL with a median of 177, a 630-fold range: 156 over 4 oz, 45 over 8 oz, 36 over a quart and 20 over a gallon. 97 PET, 53 PP, 31 HDPE and 24 glass. 158 jars, 24 tubs and pails, 22 bottles, 1 tube. 77 PET single wall jars, 20 PP single wall jars, 16 double wall round base jars, 15 glass straight sided jars, 10 double wall straight base jars, 9 plastic round pails. 62 clear, 55 white, 23 natural, 21 amber, 20 black, 11 blue, 7 green, 4 frosted, 2 dark amber. Necks: 54 at 70-400, 36 at 58-400, 28 at 89-400, 28 unrecorded, 11 at 53-400, 9 at 48-400, 8 at 110-400. Closures: 194 continuous thread polypropylene lids, 41 metal or aluminum CT caps, 22 dome lids, 12 round tub lids, 9 sealing discs, 7 plastic round pail lids, 7 spice caps, 3 phenolic, 1 spice sifter disc. Liners: 80 heat induction seal, 44 F217, 43 unrecorded, 37 No Liner, 34 pressure sensitive, 23 Plastis standard, 19 PE foam, 18 foam, 3 polycone. Buyability, a snapshot: 129 of 205 available, 75 not, 1 unrecorded; 76 quote only; 32 full case only, with case packs from 8 to 6,370 and a median of 280.
