ISO 3632: saffron specification and grading
ISO 3632 is the international standard for saffron specification and test methods, and it is the only objective framework that separates a real grade claim from a marketing label. The standard measures three absorbance values: crocin at 440 nm (colour strength), picrocrocin at 257 nm (flavour), and safranal at 330 nm (aroma). Genuine Super Negin and Sargol saffron test at crocin 230-260+; lower grades land at 120-190. The EU's Category I threshold under ISO 3632 is crocin 200, picrocrocin 70, safranal 20-50.
Palude attaches an ISO 3632 certificate from an accredited Iranian laboratory to every saffron proforma, before the buyer asks for it. The certificate is batch-specific, names the laboratory, and reports the absorbance values. A supplier that quotes a saffron price without issuing the certificate is selling on the grade name, not on the lab values — and that is the pattern that produces a container of Sargol-priced Pushal. Our saffron import guide covers the ISO 3632 framework in procurement-context detail.
HACCP: food safety across the food verticals
HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is the food-safety management system that governs the packing facilities we source from for saffron, pistachios, dates, dried fruit, almonds and the saffron nuts gift box programme. A HACCP-certified facility has identified the biological, chemical and physical hazards relevant to its product line, defined the critical control points where those hazards are managed, and documented the monitoring and corrective-action procedures at each control point.
For the stuffed-date and gift-box assembly operations — where multiple Iranian food SKUs are combined in a single HACCP-certified facility — the HACCP certification covers the assembly workflow as well as the incoming-material inspection. The HACCP certificate is available on request and is part of the documentation set for buyers whose destination market requires evidence of food-safety management at the packing facility.
Halal certification for GCC destinations
Halal certification is required by most GCC destination authorities for food-product imports, and is increasingly requested by non-GCC buyers whose retail channel serves a Muslim consumer base. The halal certificate confirms that the product, the processing aids, and the packaging workflow comply with Islamic dietary requirements, and is issued by an Islamic authority recognised by the destination market. For Mazafati dates, pistachios and the gift-box programme, we include a halal certificate as a standard document for GCC-bound shipments and as an on-request document for other destinations.
Phytosanitary certification
The phytosanitary certificate is issued by the Iranian Plant Protection Organization and is required for every plant-product export — saffron, pistachios, dates, dried fruit, almonds. The certificate confirms that the product has been inspected and found free of quarantine pests and is compliant with the destination's plant-health requirements. The phytosanitary certificate travels with the shipment and is presented to destination customs by the buyer's broker. For consolidated shipments containing multiple plant-product SKUs, a single phytosanitary certificate can cover the consolidated cargo, reducing destination clearance cost.
Certificate of origin
The certificate of origin is issued by the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, and confirms that the goods are of Iranian origin. The certificate is the document that determines the destination's applicable tariff rate and, in some jurisdictions, the eligibility for preferential treatment. For Persian carpets, the certificate of origin names the weaving city or region (Tabriz, Heriz, Esfahan, Qum), which is the origin documentation that supports the carpet's authenticity alongside the spec sheet and photographic set described in our carpet authentication guide.
Aflatoxin testing and the HPLC certificate
Aflatoxin testing is the food-safety framework specific to pistachios and nuts. The EU's aflatoxin limit for pistachios is 10 ppb total (8 ppb B1); Russia's de facto large-importer standard is 4 ppb total. Every pistachio export lot is sampled and tested by an accredited Iranian laboratory using HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography), the reference method, and the HPLC certificate travels with the cargo. The pistachio quality standards guide covers the aflatoxin control protocol in detail.
Refinery test certificates for petrochemicals and bitumen
The industrial verticals ship with refinery test certificates rather than food-safety certificates. Polyethylene ships with a technical data sheet and a certificate of analysis reporting the MFI, density and additive package. Methanol ships with an IMPCA-spec certificate of analysis reporting purity, water and acidity. Urea ships with a certificate of analysis reporting nitrogen, biuret and moisture. Bitumen 60/70 ships with a refinery certificate reporting penetration, softening point, ductility, viscosity, flash point, loss on heating, solubility and specific gravity. In each case, the certificate is lot-specific and is the document that verifies the grade claim against the ASTM specification.
Pre-shipment inspection (PSI)
For government-tender and large-volume buyers, a pre-shipment inspection by an international inspection company — SGS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas or Cotecna — is often a contract requirement. The PSI verifies quantity, quality, packaging and marking before the container ships, and the PSI certificate is the document the buyer's tender authority requires for payment release. Palude facilitates PSI at the Iranian loading port as part of the export workflow, and the PSI cost is a quoted line item rather than a surprise at the invoice stage.
Destination-specific compliance
Beyond the core certification set, some destinations require additional documentation. The EU requires a GMO-free declaration for food products and REACH compliance documentation for chemical imports. The GCC requires halal certification for food products and GSO conformity where applicable. Russia and the EAEU require an EAC conformity declaration, typically handled by the Russian importer. China requires CIF destination port and, for certain industrial products, CCC certification. India requires BIS certification for certain industrial products and FSSAI registration for food products. We quote destination-specific add-ons as separate line items so the buyer sees the full documentation cost before contracting.
The full document workflow — which certificate travels with which product, and how the documents are checked at origin before the vessel sails — is covered in our Iran export documentation checklist. For the packaging specs that protect certified product in transit, our packaging standards guide is the companion read. To begin an engagement with the certification framework defined upfront, request a sourcing quote.