What are the major hazards in pulses and spices?
My name Serkalem W/mariam from Ethiopia
Not my area of expertise but from what knowledge I have, it depends on the pulses and the spices but I've known of Salmonellae and B. cereus being raised by people with more experience than I have. I also suppose some of the pathogens associated with handling may be present, e.g. toxin producing E Coli and Staph aureus.
Foreign bodies are likely to include sticks / twigs (also known as extraneous vegetable matter), insects etc and of course every attempt should be made to exclude these.
Chemical hazards could include pesticides but also consider the Sudan / illegal dyes for chilli.
There have also been some issues with allergens (particularly nuts and nut shells) being used to "bulk out" powdered spices which is both an allergen and authenticity hazard. As soon as you no longer have the "whole spice" and are buying in ground, authenticity issues are way easier to get away with.
Hope that helps.