As many as 25 samples from MDH have been lifted by FSSAI from their 11 manufacturing facilities. Image for representation purposes only. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Food regulator FSSAI has not found any trace of ethylene oxide in samples of spices of two major brands MDH and Everest that were tested in 28 accredited laboratories, sources said.

According to them, reports from six other laboratories are still pending.

Last month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) started taking samples of spices in powder form of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from across the country in view of quality concerns flagged by Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety (CFS) had asked consumers not to buy certain spice mix products of MDH and Everest, citing the presence of ethylene oxide beyond the permissible limit.

These products are MDH’s Madras Curry Powder, Everest Fish Curry Masala, MDH Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder, and MDH Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder.

According to sources, a pan India drive was initiated on April 22 through all the commissioners of food safety of states and Union Territories and regional directors of FSSAI.

Also Read | ‘Much ado about nothing’, says Govt., on spice export worries

It included extensive inspections of the spice manufacturing units and also sampling and testing of products manufactured for sale and distribution for consumption in the domestic market.

Sources said the samples of Everest spices were picked up from their two manufacturing facilities. As many as 25 samples from MDH have been lifted by FSSAI from their 11 manufacturing facilities, they said.

Each of the products sampled was analysed for compliance with various quality and safety parameters including pesticide residues. These samples were also analysed for Ethylene Oxide (ETO) at NABL-accredited laboratories notified by FSSAI.

The laboratory reports received so far were examined by the scientific panel at FSSAI and observed that the samples showed no traces of ethylene oxide, sources said.

Similarly, test reports of over 300 samples of spices of other brands were also examined by the scientific panel and those also conclusively indicated no presence of ethylene oxide, they added.

The scientific panel comprises eminent scientists from the Spice Board, CSMCRI (Gujarat), Indian Spice Research Institute (Kerala), NIFTEM (Haryana), BARC (Mumbai), CMPAP (Lucknow), DRDO (Assam), ICAR, National Research Centre on Grapes, (Pune).

The Spice Board has also issued guidelines to the spice exporters for using ETO as a fumigant for sterilising spices to deal with microbial contamination as per the standards of importing countries, sources said.

Hyderabad:

Popular Indian spice brand MDH, under scrutiny for alleged contamination in some products, has since 2021 seen an average 14.5 per cent of its US shipments rejected due to the presence of bacteria, a Reuters analysis of US regulatory data found.

Hong Kong suspended sales last month of three spice blends made by MDH and one by another Indian company, Everest, for apparently containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide. Ethylene oxide is unfit for human consumption and a cancer risk with long exposure.

The companies have said their products are safe and MDH added it does not use ethylene oxide at any stage of storing, processing, or packing of spices. Authorities in the United States, Australia and India are looking into the matter. Both brands are popular in India and are exported around the world.

India is the world’s biggest spice producer and is also the largest consumer and exporter of spices. Zion Market Research estimates India’s domestic market was worth $10.44 billion in 2022, and the Spices Board said India exported products worth $4 billion during 2022-23.

Before the latest scrutiny, products from MDH, a family-run Indian company more than 100 years old, were rejected for sale in the United States due to the presence of salmonella, a bacteria that can lead to gastrointestinal illness.

Around 20%, or 13 of MDH’s 65 shipments to the United States were rejected after it failed checks for salmonella between October 2023 – when the current fiscal year started – and May 3, according to the latest available data compiled by Reuters from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA did not state what quantity was contained in each shipment but the 13 shipments rejected included mixed spices and seasonings, as well as fenugreek, according to the data.

In fiscal 2022-23, about 15 per cent of 119 MDH shipments were rejected mostly for salmonella contamination, while the rejections stood at 8.19% during 2021-22, the data showed.

Everest has had fewer rejections in the United States with just one of 450 shipments in the ongoing 2023-24 year having been rejected so far for salmonella.

Around 3.7 per cent of Everest’s US shipments were halted in 2022-23 and there were no rejections in the 189 shipments to the US the year before, the data showed.

In response to queries on the FDA data, an MDH spokesperson said its products are safe. Everest said it had an ‘exceptional’ rejection rate of its US shipments of less than 1% in fiscal 2023-2024, adding that their products are safe.

The US FDA and the Spices Board did not respond to requests for comment. The Board has been inspecting MDH and Everest facilities for compliance with quality standards, but the results have not yet been made public.

For decades, MDH and Everest have been among the biggest spice makers in India, making products widely used in home kitchens and restaurants for flavouring curries and many dishes.

In 2019, a few batches of MDH’s spice mix were taken off the shelves in the US for salmonella contamination and in 2023, the FDA recalled a few of Everest’s products over similar findings and issued a public health alert.

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

Boxes of Everest fish curry masala are stacked on the shelf of a shop at a market in Srinagar
| Photo Credit: Reuters

India, the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of spices, has sought details from food safety regulators of Singapore and Hong Kong, which has banned certain spices of Indian brands MDH and Everest due to quality concerns.

The commerce ministry has also directed Indian embassies in both Singapore and Hong Kong to send a detailed report on the matter.

The ministry has also sought details from the Indian firms — MDH and Everest, whose products have been banned for allegedly containing pesticide ‘ethylene oxide’ beyond permissible limits.

“Details have been sought from the companies. Root cause of the rejection and corrective actions will be determined along with the exporters concerned,” a commerce ministry official said.

Technical details, analytical reports and the details of the exporters whose consignments have been rejected have been sought from Embassies at Singapore and Hong Kong, the official said.

Details have also been sought from Singapore Food Agency and Centre for Food Safety, and Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Hong Kong, the official added.

The ministry official mentioned that an industry consultation is also scheduled to discuss the issue of mandatory testing of ethylene oxide in spice shipments to Singapore and Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, the Spices Board of India is looking into the ban imposed by Hong Kong and Singapore on the sale of four spice-mix products of Indian brands MDH and Everest.

The Food safety regulator of Hong Kong has asked consumers not to buy these products and traders not to sell, the Singapore Food Agency has directed a recall of the products.

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

Food safety regulator FSSAI has started taking samples of spices in powder form of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from across the country in view of quality concerns flagged by Singapore and Hong Kong, a government source said.

“In view of the current development, FSSAI has taking samples of spices of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from the market to check whether they meet the FSSAI norms,” the source told PTI.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) does not regulate quality of exported spices, they said.

FSSAI, which operates under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, takes samples of spices regularly from the market to check the quality of product sold in the domestic market.

Meanwhile, the Spices Board of India is looking into the ban imposed by Hong Kong and Singapore on the sale of four spices-mix products of Indian brands MDH and Everest, which allegedly contain pesticide ‘ethylene oxide’ beyond permissible limits.

“We are looking into the matter. We are at it,” Spices Board of India Director A B Rema Shree told PTI.

The companies could not be contacted immediately.

The Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety (CFS) has asked consumers not to buy these products and traders not to sell, while the Singapore Food Agency has directed a recall of such spices.

These products are 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.

The Singapore Food Agency recalled Everest Fish Curry Masala from India alleging the presence of a pesticide.

The Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong on April 18 recalled Everest Fish Curry Masala from India alleging the presence of a pesticide called ethylene oxide at levels exceeding permissible limit.

In a statement released, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said “Ethylene oxide is a pesticide that is not authorised for use in food. It can be used to fumigate agricultural products to prevent microbial contamination. Under Singapore’s Food Regulations, ethylene oxide is allowed to be used in the sterilisation of spices.”

It added that although there is no immediate risk to consumption of food contaminated with low levels of ethylene oxide, long-term exposure may lead to health issues. Therefore, exposure to this substance should be minimised as much as possible.

“Consumers who have purchased the implicated products are advised not to consume it. Those who have consumed the implicated products and have concerns about their health should seek medical advice. Consumers may contact their point of purchase for enquiries,” the SFA said.

New Delhi:

Singapore has recalled Everest Fish Curry Masala, a popular spice product imported from India, alleging the presence of elevated levels of ethylene oxide, a pesticide deemed unsuitable for human consumption in the spice blend. This move comes in response to a notification issued by the Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong, highlighting the presence of ethylene oxide at levels surpassing permissible limits.

“The Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong has issued a notification on the recall of Everest Fish Curry Masala from India due to the presence of ethylene oxide at levels exceeding permissible limits,” the Singapore Food Agency said in a statement. 

The SFA has directed the importer, Sp Muthiah & Sons Pte. Ltd., to initiate a comprehensive recall of the products. 

Ethylene oxide, while commonly used as a pesticide for fumigating agricultural produce to mitigate microbial contamination, is strictly prohibited for use in food products. Despite its permissible application in the sterilisation of spices under Singaporean regulations, the presence of elevated levels in Everest Fish Curry Masala poses a potential health risk to consumers, the SFA said. 

“Those who have consumed the implicated products and have concerns about their health should seek medical advice. Consumers may contact their point of purchase for enquiries,” the SFA statement read. 

Everest has not issued a statement on this yet.