This page is for US sprout growers, food-safety-audited packers, health-food distributors, and importers sourcing bulk sprouting-grade alfalfa seed (Medicago sativa) for the American market. KOHENOOR International is a Pakistan-based direct exporter since 1957, supplying untreated, food-grade, 90%+ germination alfalfa seed with a Certificate of Analysis and a Letter of Guarantee against pathogens on every lot — the documentation US sprout operations need to satisfy FDA Produce Safety Rule expectations.
Alfalfa is the single most-consumed sprouting seed in the United States, anchoring the salad-sprout category alongside broccoli, clover and radish. The North American sprouts market was valued around USD 1.3 billion in 2024 and is on a double-digit growth path through the early 2030s, driven by plant-based eating, functional-food demand and the retail expansion of fresh sprouts and living microgreens. For a commercial sprout house, seed is the single largest variable input and its quality determines yield, shelf life and — critically — food-safety risk. That is why serious US buyers source directly from origin rather than through re-packers who cannot show lot-level test history.
KOHENOOR supplies the same KN92 food-grade line used across our forage export, conditioned to sprouting specification: high, even germination for uniform mat development; Sortex optical cleaning for freedom from foreign material; and per-lot laboratory testing so every drum or bag ships with paperwork a US food-safety auditor can file.
Under the US FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), sprouts are "covered produce" and sprout operations carry sprout-specific requirements, because the warm, moist conditions that grow sprouts also favour pathogen growth. Seed for sprouting sits just outside the definition of covered produce, but FDA has issued dedicated guidance — "Reducing Microbial Food Safety Hazards in the Production of Seed for Sprouting" — and US sprout growers are expected to source seed produced under good agricultural practices and to hold seed-lot documentation. In practice, that means your seed supplier must be able to provide:
| What the US sprout grower needs | What KOHENOOR ships |
|---|---|
| Lot-level Certificate of Analysis | Germination %, purity %, moisture %, per lot — standard |
| Evidence of pathogen control | Letter of Guarantee against Salmonella / E. coli O157:H7, lot testing on request |
| Untreated seed (no chemical seed dressing) | Sprouting lots supplied untreated — Letter of Guarantee against chemical treatment free on request |
| Traceability to a defined seed lot | Sealed, numbered lots; COA number ties bag to lab report |
| Non-GMO status | Pakistani-origin alfalfa is non-GMO by default; Non-GMO LoG free on request |
KOHENOOR does not grow sprouts and does not certify your finished sprouts — that is your operation's responsibility under the Produce Safety Rule. What we do is remove the upstream seed-quality variable: clean, tested, documented seed so your own HACCP/PSR programme starts from a known, traceable input.
| Parameter | KOHENOOR sprouting-grade alfalfa |
|---|---|
| Species | Medicago sativa (alfalfa / lucerne) |
| Germination | 90%+ (tested per lot; higher lots available on request) |
| Physical purity | 99.9% — Sortex optical-sorted |
| Dodder (Cuscuta) | 0.00% — tested every lot |
| Moisture | Reported per lot (typically ≤ 10%) |
| Treatment | Untreated (food-grade) |
| GMO status | Non-GMO |
| Packaging | 25 kg PP / food-grade liner; 1 MT FIBC; private label available |
Minimum order is a 500 kg trial; a full 20 ft container (≈20 MT) earns the best CIF rate and is the usual volume for an established US sprout house or distributor. We quote CIF to the major US container ports — Los Angeles / Long Beach for the West Coast, New York / Newark and Savannah for the East Coast, Houston for the Gulf — or FOB Karachi if you consolidate your own freight. Payment by irrevocable LC or TT. Lead time is typically 25–35 days from purchase order to vessel sailing, plus transit. Because Pakistan seed prices sit well below US and EU origins, landed cost is competitive even after ocean freight — the reason many US buyers trial one container and re-order.
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Company: ____ · US destination port: ____ · Product: Sprouting-grade alfalfa seed · Quantity: ____ (kg/MT) · Arrival month: ____ · Documents needed: COA / Non-GMO LoG / Pathogen LoG / Untreated LoG · Private label? yes/no
Alfalfa seed for sprouting is not itself "covered produce" under the FDA Produce Safety Rule, but US sprout growers must source seed produced under good agricultural practices and keep lot documentation. KOHENOOR supplies a Certificate of Analysis per lot plus Letters of Guarantee (pathogen, untreated, non-GMO) so your own PSR/HACCP programme has the upstream records it needs.
Lot pathogen testing is available on request, and a Letter of Guarantee against Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 is provided. Many US buyers also run their own spent-irrigation-water testing on the finished sprouts as required by the Produce Safety Rule.
Yes — sprouting lots are supplied untreated (no chemical seed dressing), suitable for food-grade sprouting. A Letter of Guarantee against chemical seed treatment is free on request.
500 kg trial or a 20 MT container for the best CIF rate, shipped to LA/Long Beach, NY/Newark, Savannah or Houston. WhatsApp +92 310 4929292 for a 24-hour quote.
Yes. Pakistan does not cultivate GMO alfalfa, so KOHENOOR seed is non-GMO by default; a Non-GMO Letter of Guarantee is free on request.
Sprouting seeds — main page · Alfalfa seeds USA · Non-GMO supplier · ISTA-certified · Full specifications
Part of the Kohenoor International group · Sister site: dairyseeds.com