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Britain’s food watchdog has applied extra control measures on all spice imports from India, it said on Wednesday, becoming the first to ramp up scrutiny of all Indian spices after contamination allegations against two brands sparked concerns among global food regulators.

Hong Kong last month suspended sales of three spice blends produced by MDH and one by Everest, saying they contained high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide.

Explained | Why are Indian spices facing the heat?

Singapore also ordered a recall of the Everest mix, and New Zealand, the United States, India and Australia have since said they are looking into issues related to the two brands.

MDH and Everest — two of India’s most popular brands — have said their products are safe for consumption.

In the most stringent crackdown so far impacting all Indian spices, the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that in light of the concerns it has “applied extra control measures for pesticide residues in spices from India which includes ethylene oxide”.

The agency did not elaborate on the exact steps it is taking.

“The use of ethylene oxide is not allowed here and maximum residue levels are in place for herbs and spices,” James Cooper, Deputy Director of Food Policy at the FSA, said in a statement to Reuters.

“If there is any unsafe food or food on the market, the FSA will take rapid action to ensure consumers are protected.”

India’s Spices Board, which regulates exports, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

India is the biggest exporter, consumer and producer of spices in the world.

In 2022 Britain imported $128 million worth of spices, with India accounting for almost $23 million, data from the Observatory of Economic Complexity website shows.

MDH and Everest export their products to many regions including the U.S., Europe, South East Asia, Middle East and Australia.

New Delhi:

MDH, a leading spice brand, on Saturday assured consumers that its products are 100 per cent safe and rejected the allegations of the presence of certain pesticides in some products by Hong Kong and Singapore food regulators.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety (CFS) said that samples of several kinds of pre-packaged spice-mix products of two Indian brands MDH and Everest were found to contain a pesticide ethylene oxide.

The CFS asked consumers not to buy and traders not to sell MDH’s Madras Curry Powder (spice blend for Madras curry), Everest Fish Curry Masala, MDH Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder, and MDH Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder.

In a statement, MDH said it has not received any communications from Hong Kong and Singapore food safety regulators.

In reference to the alleged presence of ETO (ethylene oxide) in some of its products, MDH said that “these claims are untrue and lack any substantiating evidence”.

“Additionally, we would like to assert that MDH has not received any communication from regulatory authorities of Singapore or Hong Kong.” MDH stated that the Spice Board of India and food regulator FSSAI have not received any communication or test reports from Hong Kong or Singapore authorities regarding this matter.

“This reinforces the fact that the allegations against MDH are baseless, unsubstantiated, and not backed by any concrete evidence,” the statement said.

“MDH reassures its buyers and customers about the safety and quality of all its products.

“We reassure our buyers and consumers that we do not use Ethylene Oxide (ETO) at any stage of storing, processing, or packing our spices,” the statement said.

The company also said it abides by health and safety standards, both domestically and internationally.

“MDH tagline, ‘Asli Masale Sach Sach, MDH MDH’ and ‘Real Spices of India’ reflect our genuine commitment to providing authentic, high-quality spices to customers,” the company said.

After Hong Kong’s directive, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) also ordered a recall of imported ‘Everest Fish Curry Masala’.

India is the world’s largest producer, consumer, and exporter of spices.

In 2022-23, the country exported spices worth nearly Rs 32,000 crore. Chilli, cumin, spice oil and oleoresins, turmeric, curry powder and cardamom are major spices exported. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)