FSSAI to conduct a broader quality check on spices brands amid MDH, Everest scrutiny: Sources

Amid reports that Singapore and Hong Kong have recalled MDH and Everest spices from the market due to the presence of ethylene oxide, sources told CNBC-TV18 that the Indian food regulator FSSAI has ordered a detailed probe not only against MDH and Everest but against all brands selling spices in India.

"FSSAI has ordered a probe against all brands selling products under spice categories. The probe will be based on random picking up of samples and then testing of samples for quality checks of products sold. Checks will be to assess whether the products sold under spices categories are as per the Indian quality and standards set by FSSAI or not," the sources said.

The action follows after Hong Kong's food regulator discovered that three products sold by MDH — Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala, and Curry Powder — as well as Fish Curry Masala sold by the popular brand Everest, were found to contain the pesticide ethylene oxide, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, ethylene oxide poses serious health risks, including an increased risk of breast cancer.

"The use of Ethylene Oxide is banned in food products in India and if testing finds any product contaminated with ethylene Oxide then appropriate action as per FSSAI rules will be taken against the companies/brands," the sources added.

#FSSAI to order probe on #MDH and #Everest : Sources to CNBC-TV18

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Regarding the quality of products exported to Hong Kong and Singapore, sources clarified, "Exports are not within the jurisdiction of FSSAI. The importing country typically tests the products at the point of import. It is the responsibility of the importing country to conduct quality checks according to their standards before permitting imports."

According to a Reuters report, a senior official at the Spices Board of India, which oversees quality standards and testing guidelines, said on Tuesday that the companies had been asked to explain how the products were tested and if all regulations were met.

"We need to get the relevant details on how this has happened ... We need to check if the conditions required by importing countries were met and if our regulations were met," the official told Reuters.

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Ashwin Bhadri, Founder & CEO of Equinox Labs emphasised that while there are regulations for pesticides, enforcement of these regulations is a challenge. Bhadri stated, “When you look at pesticide contamination today, while there are a lot of laws and regulations in place, who is going and monitoring how much pesticide is being added at the farm level? There is no monitoring of that. Now you have to understand the farmer's perspective- he has an X amount of land, he has to get the maximum out of it, he is going to look at what is my cost of pesticide to my cost of yield and he's going to do the best he can. There is no possible way for us to go through every single farm every time pesticide is being sprayed. So the only way possible is, whatever is coming from farm to fork- in between when raw materials are being bought we need to do pesticide level checks then. What many brands do is they skimp on that cost, they will not get it tested, they say the process will take care of it, but the process doesn't take care of it. Removing pesticide from grains is not a very easy process. So unless you take very selected steps, it's going to be impossible to get that out. So what is put in is what is going to come out. So a brand if they are not taking steps to control the quality chain, if they're not are taking steps to monitor the vendors that they're using, where they're buying the material from, buying organic or not. Now again, if we say organic cost goes up because if you don't use pesticides the amount of crop per hectare is lesser, hence the cost goes higher. So there are regulations for pesticides, but enforcement of these regulations is a very large challenge.”