Chia Seed

Chia seed is the cleaned seed of Salvia hispanica L., not an interchangeable label for other Salvia species, planting seed, partially defatted powder, flour, mucilage, protein or fibre concentrate, or chia oil. A comparable food lot needs botanical identity, production and processing origins, crop and packing dates, whole, ground or processed form, intended use, colour where material, moisture, extraneous and mineral matter, other edible grains, damaged seeds, thousand-seed mass, fat-acidity, pesticide, mycotoxin, microbiological, heavy-metal and authenticity evidence, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and information vintage.

Editorial evidence reviewedReviewed 2026-09-14Release 2026-09-19-batch-230

Market value

$1.7B

Producing countries tracked

11

Grading systems

1

Active supply risks

5

Trade corridors

6

Latest reviewed evidence

India's FSSAI whole chia-seed standard sets an 11.5 percent moisture ceiling, 1 percent total extraneous-matter ceiling, 0.25 percent mineral-matter ceiling within that total, 0.10 percent animal-origin impurity ceiling, 0.5 percent other-edible-grain ceiling, 3 percent damaged-grain ceiling, a 1.2-to-1.6 gram thousand-seed-mass range, a 2.0 milligram KOH-per-gram extracted-fat acidity ceiling and a 100 milligram-per-kilogram uric-acid ceiling. These are source-standard requirements for the named whole seed, not current lot results, universal destination rules, supply volumes or prices.

FSSAI whole chia-seed moisture ceiling

11.5

percent by mass, maximum · FSSAI Chapter 2.4, version 1 dated 2023-09-01

FSSAI whole chia-seed extraneous-matter ceiling

1

percent by mass, maximum · FSSAI Chapter 2.4, version 1 dated 2023-09-01

FSSAI mineral-matter ceiling within extraneous matter

0.25

percent by mass, maximum · FSSAI Chapter 2.4, version 1 dated 2023-09-01

FSSAI animal-origin impurity ceiling

0.1

percent by mass, maximum · FSSAI Chapter 2.4, version 1 dated 2023-09-01

FSSAI other-edible-grain ceiling

0.5

percent by mass, maximum · FSSAI Chapter 2.4, version 1 dated 2023-09-01

FSSAI damaged-grain ceiling

3

percent by mass, maximum · FSSAI Chapter 2.4, version 1 dated 2023-09-01

FSSAI thousand-seed-mass lower bound

1.2

grams; upper bound 1.6 · FSSAI Chapter 2.4, version 1 dated 2023-09-01

FSSAI extracted-fat acidity ceiling

2

milligrams KOH per gram, maximum · FSSAI Chapter 2.4, version 1 dated 2023-09-01

EU high-protein defatted chia-powder particle-size ceiling

130

micrometres, maximum · Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2214

EU high-fibre defatted chia-powder fibre floor

50

percent, minimum · Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2214

Salvia hispanica identity and product purpose come first

Kew accepts Salvia hispanica L. as a distinct annual species in the Lamiaceae family, native from Mexico to Guatemala. Codex classifies chia under code GC 3084 in its subgroup for wheat, similar grains and pseudocereals without husks, but that residue-classification placement does not make chia a cereal grass or define a commercial grade. Atlas retains the accepted scientific name, food or planting purpose, origin and lot identity rather than relying on the common name alone.

Whole seed, ground seed, defatted powder and chia oil are separate products

FSSAI's named seed standard addresses cleaned whole chia seed. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2214 separately defines partially defatted chia powders as products obtained by pressing and grinding whole seeds, with different high-protein and high-fibre specifications, particle sizes and composition limits. Chia oil has a different yield, oxidation profile, analytical basis and tariff treatment. Atlas does not transfer a whole-seed test, powder specification or price to another form without a documented processing and recovery basis.

Official limits become evidence only when attached to a tested lot

The FSSAI moisture, foreign-matter, damaged-grain, thousand-seed-mass and acidity limits are reference requirements, not certificates. The EU powder criteria likewise apply to the specifically authorized processed products, not automatically to whole seed. Atlas records lot and sublot, sampling plan, sample preparation, laboratory, method, detection and quantification limits, result and test date for identity, cleanliness, deterioration, pesticides, mycotoxins, microbiology, metals and authenticity before assessing a claim.

Quality and novel-food specifications do not establish a delivered chia price

A source-standard ceiling, a compositional authorization and a residue-classification code do not establish current production, available inventory, tradeable grade or value. A delivered estimate still needs permitted current observations for the exact whole seed or processed form, food or planting purpose, origin, crop and packing dates, lot-linked quality and safety evidence, package and quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window, freight and information vintage. Atlas withholds a physical estimate when those observations or usage rights are missing.

Questions procurement teams ask

Are chia seed, chia powder and chia oil interchangeable?

No. Whole seed, ground or partially defatted powder and expressed oil have different processing, composition, tests, recovery yields, regulatory treatment and value. Each observation must remain attached to its exact product form.

Does Codex classification make chia a cereal grain?

No. Codex places Salvia hispanica in a residue-classification subgroup with grains and pseudocereals. The classification supports a harmonized commodity identity and analysed portion; it does not change the botanical family or create a commercial grade.

Does meeting the FSSAI 11.5-percent moisture ceiling prove a lot complies everywhere?

No. It is one requirement in the cited Indian whole-seed standard. A lot still needs representative sampling, method-linked results, the other applicable limits and current rules for the actual destination and use.

Which fields make chia-seed offers comparable?

Salvia hispanica identity, food or planting purpose, production and processing origins, crop and packing dates, whole, ground, defatted powder or oil form, colour where material, moisture, extraneous and mineral matter, other grains, damaged seeds, thousand-seed mass, fat acidity, pesticide, mycotoxin, microbiological, metal and authenticity evidence, package and lot, quantity, currency, Incoterm, destination, delivery window and evidence date.

Sources and provenance

Figures retain their source, period and review date. Corroboration is not promoted to primary evidence.

Chapter 2.4 — Cereals and Cereal Products: Chia Seeds

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India · Primary Indian food-regulator standard for Salvia hispanica whole seed identity, moisture, extraneous matter, other grains, damage, thousand-seed mass, extracted-fat acidity and uric acid; version 1 dated 2023-09-01 · accessed 2026-09-14

CXA 4-1989 — Classification of Foods and Animal Feeds

Codex Alimentarius Commission, FAO/WHO · Primary 2025 Codex classification listing Chia, Salvia hispanica L., as GC 3084 in subgroup 020A and defining the commodity for residue-classification purposes; not a grade, lot certificate or price · accessed 2026-09-14

Salvia hispanica L. — Plants of the World Online

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · Primary botanical authority accepting Salvia hispanica L., recording its Lamiaceae identity and native range from Mexico to Guatemala; botanical identity alone does not establish grade or compliance · accessed 2026-09-14

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2214 — partially defatted chia seed powders

European Commission · Primary EU legal source defining separate high-protein and high-fibre partially defatted chia powders, their particle size, composition, microbiological and contaminant criteria; it does not specify unprocessed whole-seed lots or prices · accessed 2026-09-14

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470 — Union list entry for Chia seeds

European Commission · Primary consolidated EU novel-food list for chia-seed description, composition and conditions of use as of the cited consolidation date; destination applicability requires current legal verification · accessed 2026-09-14

Grading systems

National and regional grading frameworks defining tradeable quality.

Country-level production, share of global output, exporter/importer status.

Active and seasonal supply-side risks — weather, disease, geopolitical, regulatory.

Required export and import documents per origin-destination corridor.