Sesame from Pakistan · For the United States
Hulled sesame seeds, US specification
Sesamum indicum L.
PG Commodities exports conventional hulled sesame seeds from Pakistan to its controlled US specification, PGC/SP/SES-HUL/US/R01. Purity is at least 99.98 % and foreign material at most 0.02 %, twenty-five times below the 0.5 % reference level in FDA guidance. Total aflatoxins are held below 15 ppb, under the FDA action level of 20 ppb. Ethylene oxide is not used as a treatment, and a lot is released only if none is detected.
We test every lot in‑house against the EU’s list of more than 700 banned chemicals, and SGS tests it again. We clean and hull the sesame in our own plant in Karachi and ship it from the Port of Karachi, FOB Karachi or CIF, in 25 kg or 50 kg bags. The minimum order is one 40‑foot container.
Sesamum indicum L. · Drawing, not a lot’s test result
Purity · min
99.98%Foreign material · max
0.02%Total aflatoxins
<15ppbMoisture · max
5.0%Specification
Specification R01
PGC/SP/SES-HUL/US/R01 · HS 1207.40
Cleaned sesame kernels with the outer hull removed (hulled, or decorticated), white to creamy white, for bakery, confectionery, tahini, toppings, snacks, seasoning blends and further processing. These are our limits for the finished product, issued on 6 November 2026. Each lot is assessed against this specification before release, and its Certificate of Analysis records the results.
| Purity | min 99.98 % | Finished product |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign material | max 0.02 % | Lot-release limit |
| Moisture | max 5.0 % | At release |
| Oil content | min 48.0 % | Product specification |
| Free fatty acids | max 2.0 % | FFA |
| Pests and insects | None | No live infestation |
| Hazardous foreign objects | Absent | No stones, metal, glass or other hazardous foreign objects |
| Product | SES-HUL | Conventional hulled sesame seeds; small oval kernels, white to creamy white |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Pakistan | Shipped from the Port of Karachi, PKKHI |
| HS code | 1207.40 | Sesame seeds |
| Packing | 25 kg | Food-grade polypropylene or paper bags with the specified liner (R01); 50 kg bags also supplied |
| Shelf life | 24 months | After packing, stored cool (preferably below 35 °C), dry, relative humidity max 65 % |
| Allergen | Contains sesame | A major U.S. food allergen, FD&C Act section 403(w) and 21 CFR Part 101; the only one intentionally present |
Food safety
Contaminants, residues and microbiology
Our total-aflatoxin criterion sits below the FDA action level for human food; pesticide residues follow the EPA tolerances; the rest are our own contractual criteria. The product must not be adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. U.S. requirements, tolerances and import controls are reviewed at order confirmation and again at shipment release.
| Total aflatoxins | < 15 µg/kg (ppb) | PG Commodities criterion; the FDA action level for human food is 20 ppb, CPG 555.400 |
|---|---|---|
| Aflatoxin B1 | In the total | Result reported; the FDA sets no separate action level for B1 in this food category |
| Ethylene oxide | Not detected | LOQ ≤ 0.05 mg/kg; ethylene oxide plus 0.55 × 2-chloroethanol, our lot-release limit. Not used as a treatment; if present, the tolerances of 40 CFR 180.151 apply: ethylene oxide 7 ppm, 2-chloroethanol 940 ppm |
| Pesticide residues | U.S. tolerances | FD&C Act section 408 and 40 CFR Part 180; set analyte by analyte and crop by crop, with no default limit |
| Cadmium | max 0.10 mg/kg | PG Commodities contractual criterion, verified by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory |
| Lead | max 0.20 mg/kg | PG Commodities contractual criterion, verified by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory |
| Mercury | max 0.01 mg/kg | PG Commodities contractual criterion, verified by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory |
| Arsenic | max 0.20 mg/kg | PG Commodities contractual criterion, verified by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory |
| Foreign material | max 0.02 % | Twenty-five times below the 0.5 % direct-reference level in FDA CPG 525.700 (guidance, not a tolerance) |
| Metal, glass, stones | Absent | Hazardous foreign objects not permitted |
| Total bacterial count | ≤ 100,000 CFU/g | |
|---|---|---|
| E. coli | < 10 CFU/g | |
| Coliforms | ≤ 100 CFU/g | |
| Moulds and yeasts | ≤ 20,000 CFU/g | |
| Salmonella spp. | Not detected | Five 25 g samples; n=5, c=0; ISO 6579-1 or a validated equivalent |
Declarations
- Conventional; not organic
- Non-GMO: a single-ingredient product of plant origin, with documented supply-chain controls; U.S. bioengineered food disclosure (7 CFR Part 66) applies where relevant
- Not irradiated
- No cereal containing gluten, or ingredient made from one, is used
- Ethylene oxide is not used as a treatment
- HACCP-based food safety procedures, with current good manufacturing practice and risk-based preventive controls under 21 CFR Part 117
U.S. requirements
The U.S. rules behind the specification
| Food safety | Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Food Safety Modernization Act; 21 CFR Part 117, current good manufacturing practice and risk-based preventive controls |
|---|---|
| Microbiology | The FD&C Act’s adulteration provisions and FSMA controls; our limits are applied as contractual lot-release criteria |
| Aflatoxins | FDA CPG 555.400: 20 ppb total-aflatoxin action level for human food; our criterion is below 15 ppb |
| Pesticide residues and ethylene oxide | FD&C Act section 408 and 40 CFR Part 180: EPA tolerances and exemptions. Ethylene oxide is not used as a treatment; if present, 40 CFR 180.151 sets ethylene oxide at 7 ppm and 2-chloroethanol at 940 ppm. Our lot-release limit: not detected |
| Allergen labelling | FD&C Act section 403(w) and 21 CFR Part 101: sesame is a major U.S. food allergen |
| GMO, irradiation, gluten | 7 CFR Part 66; 21 CFR Part 179; 21 CFR 101.91 where a voluntary gluten-free claim is made |
| Packaging | 21 CFR Parts 174 to 178, or an effective Food Contact Notification |
| Import | 21 CFR Part 1, including registration and prior notice. The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) is the U.S. importer’s; we supply the verification support records |
Testing
Every lot tested twice, before it leaves the farm
We test every lot in‑house against the EU’s list of more than 700 banned chemicals, and SGS tests it again. A lot that fails stays with the farmer to sell. Each lot is tested for aflatoxins, pesticide residues, ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol, heavy metals and microbiology by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory, and every lot comes with its own Certificate of Analysis. One sample from each lot stays with us in Karachi, as our record of what we sent.
Quality and analytical
- Certificate of Analysis, for each lot
- Test reports: methods, limits of quantification and results
- Ethylene oxide, 2-chloroethanol and the agreed pesticide-residue panel
- Heavy metals and aflatoxins
- Microbiology
Commercial and origin
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Phytosanitary and health certificates for the destination
- Origin documents
Declarations and records
- Allergen statement: contains sesame
- Non-GMO and non-irradiation declarations
- Traceability declaration
- Quality-assurance release records
- U.S. importer and FSVP support records
The documents that come with each shipment, as specification R01 lists them. Quality assurance releases a lot only after reviewing its test results, its Certificate of Analysis, and its packaging and traceability records.
Farm to port
From our farmers to the Port of Karachi
Grown
Pakistan’s farmers are its marginalised backbone. Our Farmer Rehabilitation Programme pays our farmers above market rate, and they grow our sesame pesticide free.
Tested before it leaves the farm
In-house, and again by SGS. A lot that fails stays with the farmer to sell.
Into an export-grade truck
We load the lot into a closed truck. Our storage protocols keep the sesame at its ideal temperature.
Cleaned and hulled in our own plant
In our own plant in Karachi, controlled cleaning and separation take out foreign material, and the outer hull is removed under controlled conditions to give clean kernels.
Traced lot by lot
Each lot is traced from the moment the sesame arrives from the farm groups, through packing, to export.
Shipped from Karachi
From the Port of Karachi (PKKHI), FOB Karachi or CIF.
Crop calendar
When Pakistani sesame is available
Sesame grows in Pakistan from June to September and is harvested from September to November. It is readily available for bulk export from October to March. Availability tightens in April and May, and is at its lowest, old crop only, from June to September. Samples follow the seasons, so a product’s sample is in the office once its harvest is in.
- Readily available, October to March
- Tightening, April and May
- Lowest, old crop, June to September
Trade terms
Terms, packing and lead time
- Incoterms
- FOB Karachi or CIF
- Port of loading
- Port of Karachi PKKHI
- Minimum order
- One 40-foot container
- Lead time
- 21 days after order confirmation, depending on the order
- Bags
- 25 kg or 50 kg
- Exporting since
- 2016
- Shipped to
- The UAE, Belgium, Germany, South Korea and the USA
- Markets
- Europe (except Russia), the UK, the USA, Canada and the GCC
The company
PG Commodities and The Product Group
PG Commodities is an agricultural commodity exporter in Karachi, Pakistan, and a member of The Product Group. It has exported since 2016, and ships sesame, rice, maize, eggs, potatoes and red onion from the Port of Karachi.
Muhammad Nasir Vohra, Pakistan’s first polymer technologist, founded The Product Group in Karachi in 1970. The group has partners in twelve countries, more than 50 long-term producer partnerships, and distributes over 200,000 tonnes of industrial products a year. It is Kuraray’s official distributor, and its companies are GTCL, SPC and PG Commodities.
Certifications
- ISO 22000:2018
- ISO 9001:2015
- ISO 14001
- ISO 37001
- BRCGS
- HACCP
- GMP
- GLOBALG.A.P.
- SMETA
- Sedex
- FSSC 22000
- Kosher
- Halal
SGS issues our ISO, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, HACCP, GMP and GLOBALG.A.P. certificates. Copies of every certificate are sent on request.
Buyers’ questions
What buyers ask us
What purity is your hulled sesame for the USA?
At least 99.98 %, with foreign material at most 0.02 %, under our specification PGC/SP/SES-HUL/US/R01. Moisture is at most 5.0 %, oil content at least 48.0 % and free fatty acids at most 2.0 %.
What is hulled sesame?
Sesame kernels with the outer hull removed, also called decorticated sesame: small oval kernels, white to creamy white, clean and free-flowing. We clean the sesame and remove the hull under controlled conditions in our own plant in Karachi.
What is your aflatoxin limit for the US?
Total aflatoxins below 15 ppb (µg/kg), under the FDA action level of 20 ppb for human food (CPG 555.400). Aflatoxin B1 is part of the total, and its result is reported.
Is ethylene oxide used on your sesame?
No. Ethylene oxide is not used as a treatment, and our US specification requires it, with 2-chloroethanol, to be not detected at a limit of quantification of 0.05 mg/kg before a lot is released.
What are your Salmonella and E. coli criteria?
Salmonella must not be detected in five 25 g samples (n=5, c=0), with no positive result permitted, and E. coli must be below 10 CFU/g.
What are your heavy-metal limits for the US?
Our own contractual criteria: cadmium at most 0.10 mg/kg, lead 0.20 mg/kg, mercury 0.01 mg/kg and arsenic 0.20 mg/kg, verified for each lot by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory.
Do you support FSVP?
Yes. The Foreign Supplier Verification Program is the U.S. importer’s responsibility; we supply the verification support records with the shipment documents.
Is sesame declared as an allergen?
Yes. Sesame is present by product identity and is a major U.S. food allergen under FD&C Act section 403(w) and 21 CFR Part 101. It is the only major U.S. allergen intentionally present.
Who tests each lot?
We test every lot in‑house against the EU’s list of more than 700 banned chemicals, and SGS tests it again. Lots are tested by an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory, and every lot comes with its own Certificate of Analysis.
Is it suitable for tahini?
Yes. The specification lists tahini among its intended uses, with bakery, confectionery, toppings, snacks, seasoning blends and further processing.
Have you shipped sesame to the USA?
Yes. We have shipped sesame to the UAE, Belgium, Germany, South Korea and the USA.
What is the minimum order?
One 40-foot container.
Which Incoterms do you offer?
FOB Karachi and CIF, from the Port of Karachi (PKKHI).
How soon can you ship?
21 days after order confirmation, depending on the order.
How is it packed?
In 25 kg or 50 kg bags. Specification R01 sets 25 kg food-grade polypropylene or paper bags with the specified liner, and a shelf life of 24 months after packing.
Can I see a sample first?
Yes. Tell us the product, grade and destination. Samples follow the seasons, so a product’s sample is in the office once its harvest is in.
Is it organic?
No. It is conventional sesame and is not organic. Our farmers grow it pesticide free, and every lot is tested against the EU’s list of banned chemicals before it leaves the farm.
Do you also supply Sortex sesame, or sesame for the EU?
Yes: Sortex sesame to our US specification and our EU specification, and hulled sesame to our EU specification. We also process to order: machine cleaned only, hulled, hulled and colour sorted, or machine cleaned and colour sorted without hulling.