A detailed evaluation of the microbial profile of 2 spices, viz. cumin seeds and chili powder, sold in retail shops in the city of Bombay, revealed high aerobic plate counts ranging from 2 × 106/g - 2 × 108/g for chili powder and 1.0 × 104/g to 1.0 × 108/g for cumin. Among the bacteria present, 50–95% constituted sporeformers, which included amylolytic and proteolytic bacilli in both the spices. Aspergillus group was predominant among fungi in chili powder samples. No fungi were found in cumin seed samples examined. Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio were completely missing from chili and cumin samples. However, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus were found in chili powder.