The definition covers all three forms. They do not behave alike.
Whole, broken, or ground. All three are spice if the other conditions are met.
And they lose oil at very different rates
A whole peppercorn has a hard shell and almost no exposed surface. A ground pepper is almost all surface.
Broken sits between
Cracked pepper, bruised cardamom, a split vanilla pod. More surface than whole and far less than ground.
Which is the form most people buy, and the one where a poor closure shows up fastest.
Headspace matters for the same reason
Oil leaves into whatever air is above the product, so a half-empty jar loses faster than a full one. Our shelf runs 30 to 18,927 mL.
Which argues for buying the size you will use
A gallon of ground spice in a household is a gallon of air after a month. 20 containers here are over a gallon.
And for the small end on this shelf
Median 177 mL and 156 of 205 containers over 4 oz, so there is a genuine household range as well as a bulk one.
Light is the second loss path
62 clear containers against 21 amber, 2 dark amber, 20 black, 55 white and 4 frosted. So the protective majority exists and clear is the commonest single choice.
Heat is the third
Which is why a spice rack above a stove is the worst place in a kitchen, and is not something a container can fix.
Our temperature range field speaks to the container, not the spice
It describes what the container tolerates rather than what the contents want, which is a distinction the compounding property also draws.
Three paths out, one of which we can help with
Oil through the closure, light through the wall, heat from wherever the jar sits. The first two are purchase decisions.
And the definition only cares about the first
Volatile oil or other flavoring principle. Light and heat degrade a spice without removing anything.
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.
