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Mahesh

03/05/24 06:24 AM IST

Indian spices facing the heat

In News
  • At least five countries — including Singapore, Hong Kong and the U.S. — have announced an investigation into possible contamination of spice mixes sold by top Indian brands, MDH and Everest.
Reasons for ban
  • The spice mixes contained high levels of ethylene oxide, the regulator said, and advised consumers against purchasing these products.
  • Days later, Singapore ordered a recall of the Everest spice mix, stating: “Ethylene oxide is a pesticide that is not authorised for use in food,” adding that the pesticide makes the spices unfit for human consumption and posing a cancer risk if exposed for too long.
  • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has previously rejected food and spice imports from India, told that it is “aware of the reports and is gathering additional information about the situation”.
  • The spice mixes flagged in question are manufactured by Everest and MDH, major players in India’s spice export industry.
  • The top three importers of India’s curry powders and mixtures, in the fiscal year 2022-23, include the U.S. (₹196.2 crore), U.A.E (₹170.6 crore) and U.K. (₹124.9 crore); followed by Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bangladesh, Oman, Canada, Qatar and Nigeria, as per provisional data by the Indian Spices Board.
  • Overall, China, U.S. U.A.E, Bangladesh and Thailand are the top importers of all spcies and spice mixes originating from India.
Health concerns
  • MDH and Everest’s spice mixes allegedly contain high levels of a prohibited pesticide called ethylene oxide (ETO).
  • ETO is a colourless, flammable, and in many ways, a remarkable gas that was originally intended for sterilising medical devices.
  • It is used as a chemical in industrial settings, agriculture, and as a sterilising agent in food products, including spices, dried vegetables and other commodities.
  • The chemical lends life to the spice industry: it reduces microbial contamination, and in turn, extends products’ shelf life and makes their storage safe.
  • The improper and excessive use of ETO may leave behind residues, causing toxic and even carcinogenic compounds to form, thus contaminating the product.
  • One such compound is ethylene glycol, an ingredient found in Indian-made cough syrups which were linked to the deaths of more than 300 children in Cameroon, Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan.
  • Long-term exposure to ethylene oxide is associated with cancers including lymphoma and leukaemia, some evidence shows.
  • The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has banned the use of ETO and earlier flagged ETO contamination in Indian spices.
  • A recent EFSA report also showed carcinogenic chemicals were found in 527 products (including herbs and spices) linked to India between September 2020 and April 2024.
  • Possible reasons for ETO traces found in excess included the use of non-approved pesticides and processing techniques aimed to reduce microbiological contamination.
  • They were “found to lead to not approved residues unsanitary processing techniques (e.g. ethylene oxide in guar gum and curry powder from India)”.
  • The report tabulates Ramdev Food Products to have had the maximum rejections in the previous year (about 30), followed by MDH (about 19), MTR (7), Everest (5), makers of Catch: DS Group (2) and Badshah (1).
  • Another such recall involved Everest’s Garam Masala and Sambhar Masala, and Maggi’s Masala-ae-Magic in June last year. Other than being contaminated with Salmonella.
  • The U.S. Dept of Agriculture had in February 2022 had stated India and Mexico were top sources of pathogen-based food import refusals.
India's Response
  • The FSSAI has directed state regulators to collect samples of major spice brands, including MDH and Everest, to test for the presence of ETO.
  • The body also plans to carry out a nationwide surveillance in 2024-25, “for fruit and vegetables, salmonella in fish products, spice and culinary herbs, fortified rice and milk and milk products.
  • The samples tested so far don’t paint a promising picture.
  • In the last three years, nearly one-fourth of samples tested failed regulatory standards, the FSSAI said in its latest release.
  • The body has reportedly tested over four lack samples in the current fiscal year, but the final data is still being collected.
Challenges
  • India’s diverse food landscape, the lack of standardised recordkeeping and intentional food fraud may prevent manufacturers from efficiently tracing ingredients and assessing potential risks.
  • Many companies struggle to trace ingredients, especially raw agricultural commodities, due to the lack of standardised recordkeeping and intentional food fraud.
  • This prevents manufacturers from assessing potential risks, compromising the safety of the entire food supply chain.
  • Traceability is particularly challenging for small and medium sized businesses with limited resources.
  • At least 10 States/Union Territories lack government or private notified food testing labs, as mandated under the FSS Act.
  • These labs are distributed unevenly across regions; have insufficient number of food safety officers; and were found to operate ineffectively due to resource constraints, showed the FSSAI Annual Report of 2021-22.
  • The absent accountability and consequences often mean enforcement agencies fail to penalise unscrupulous food operators, which fuels the issue, experts say.
  • For samples found sub-standard, the maximum penalty is of up to ₹5 lakh.
  • Under Section 59 of the FSS Act, food businesses found guilty of selling, storing or manufacturing sub-standard foods can be penalised with a ₹3 lakh penalty and a three-month jail term.
  • The top three importers of India’s curry powders and mixtures, in the fiscal year 2022-23, include the U.S. (₹196.2 crore), U.A.E (₹170.6 crore) and U.K. (₹124.9 crore); followed by Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bangladesh, Oman, Canada, Qatar and Nigeria, as per provisional data of the regulatory body, Indian Spices Board.
  • Overall, China, U.S. U.A.E, Bangladesh and Thailand are the top importers of all spices and spice mixes originating from India. 
Source- The Hindu

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