The rising demand for organically grown spice in India and across the world has unlocked opportunities for strengthening entrepreneurship in spice processing in the northeastern region. As the Spice Board under the Ministry of Commerce and Industries recognises the region as “by default organic”, the demand for spice grown in Northeastern states in both the domestic and export markets is rising. Spice producers, suppliers and exporters from the region becoming familiar with the regulatory norms is critical to sustaining the current momentum in demand growth, which in turn drives production, processing expansion and income augmentation. Petroleum-derived contaminants in spice have raised significant food safety concerns, prompting the European Union to enforce a new regulatory regime of a maximum of 10 mg/kg for such contaminants in spice with effect from January, 2027. The Spice Board cautions that mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH), including mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH), are petroleum-derived contaminants that have raised significant food safety concerns, and among these, MOAH compounds are of particular concern due to their potential carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. The ‘Guidelines for the Spice Industry on Prevention and Mitigation of MOSH/MOAH Contamination in Spices’ issued by the Spice Board highlights that such contamination can occur at multiple stages of agricultural practices due to the use of mineral oil-based pesticides, adjuvants, and fertilizers, contaminated irrigation water or soil (from industrial discharge or run-off); leakages from farming machinery lubricated with mineral oil-based products; exhaust gases; smoke; and spillage of lubricants from agricultural machinery (tractor, tiller, harvesting equipment, etc.), vehicles and nearby industries. Besides, contamination can also occur during post-harvest handling and processing, such as drying on polluted surfaces (e.g., roadsides, bitumen-coated areas); use of cosmetic products or skin protection agents containing mineral oils by handling staff; spillage or leakage of lubricants from processing machinery during operations and maintenance; and use of non-food-grade lubricants and unapproved additives and processing aids. The guidelines also recommend special care during storage and transportation, as the use of jute bags treated with mineral oils, recycled packaging materials (cardboard, paper) containing mineral oil residues, printing inks, adhesives, and markers containing mineral oils, and storage of spices in mineral oil-contaminated areas can also lead to contamination. Encouraging traditional storage practices such as elevated bamboo granaries with adequate ventilation for moisture control and the use of biopesticides such as neem leaves for organic pest control will help producers, processors and exporters to meet the safety standards prescribed in the Guidelines. While agricultural practices in the region have largely remained organic, especially in traditional production of spices, the traditional production clusters, post-harvest handling and processing, transportation and storage are no longer insulated from industrial growth, rising vehicle movement and flooding of recycled packaging materials. Giving wider publicity of the guidelines among traditional spice growers and entrepreneurs in the region will be beneficial for them to take adequate precautions to prevent contamination from vehicular pollution or industrial contamination to maintain the organic character in the production and supply value chain. Entrepreneurial capacity building depends on continuous skill upgrading and use of modern machinery and packaging technologies. Since spice processing and packaging units in the region have been modernised to cater to the new and growing market demand, they also risk increased exposure to petroleum-derived contaminants along the value chain, notwithstanding the organic nature of production and traditional storage systems. Establishment of more crop-specific spice parks in the region can go a long way in boosting production in compliance with regulatory norms to fully unlock its export and domestic market potential. Passing on the share of profits fetched by premium prices in the export market to producers is crucial for expansion of area and boosting production of signature spice crops grown in the region, such as ginger, turmeric, chilli, large cardamom, etc. The superior quality of these spices from the region has received global recognition, making them some of the most sought-after ingredients in the Indian and global culinary industries. Organic certification of spices and other food products from the region has been persistently low compared to other regions, which has been a major barrier in accessing high-value export markets and limits the region’s competitive advantage. The enforcement of the new regulatory regimes and food safety norms must be accompanied by firm resolve to end the paradox of the region lacking the required ecosystem for organic certification, even though its traditional agricultural practices are being recognised as organic-by-default. Closing this paradox requires much more than regulation; it calls for building a robust certification ecosystem with growers and processors at the centre of the ecosystem, prioritising government and private investment for establishing more certification institutions, accessible and affordable testing infrastructure and hand-holding support to farmers. Positioning the northeast region as a leading hub of certified organic spice production will empower traditional growers, rising to the stature their superior spice quality warrants.