The story thus far: A disaster of confidence assails the Indian spice export business. At least 5 nations — together with Singapore, Hong Kong and the U.S. — have introduced an investigation into attainable contamination of spice mixes offered by prime Indian manufacturers, MDH and Everest. The complaints cite the presence of ethylene oxide, a poisonous chemical used as a meals stabiliser, past permissible limits. The Spices Board of India in response has initiated obligatory testing of merchandise shipped overseas and is reportedly working with exporters to determine the root reason behind contamination. The worldwide scrutiny has additionally stirred a requirement for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to make sure stringent high quality checks on spices and curry powders offered in home markets.
The incident isn’t remoted. Controversies have engulfed protein drinks, fruit juices, well being drinks and imported Nestle child merchandise, drawing consideration to regulatory lapses and heightening well being considerations. “Consumers are increasingly questioning the safety and quality of trusted brands, and wonder what the food regulator in India is doing,” notes Simi T.B., who works with CUTS International, a worldwide advocacy group for client welfare.
Which nations have flagged security of Indian spices?
The domino first shook on April 5, when Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety suspended the sale of three MDH spice blends (Madras curry powder, Sambhar masala and curry powder masala) and Everest fish curry masala. The spice mixes contained excessive ranges of ethylene oxide, the regulator mentioned, and suggested shoppers in opposition to buying these merchandise. Days later, Singapore ordered a recall of the Everest spice combine, stating: “Ethylene oxide is a pesticide that is not authorised for use in food,” including that the pesticide makes the spices unfit for human consumption and posing a most cancers danger if uncovered for too lengthy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has beforehand rejected meals and spice imports from India, informed Reuters that it’s “aware of the reports and is gathering additional information about the situation”.
Regulatory our bodies in Maldives, Australia and Bangladesh have introduced comparable plans. “We are working with international counterparts to understand the issue…and to determine if further action is required in Australia,” mentioned Food Standards Australia New Zealand in an announcement. Maldives’s FDA in an announcement on X mentioned it has suspended the sale of spices produced by Everest and MDH. Bangladesh is gathering data on firms importing the presumably contaminated merchandise into Bangladesh and plans to hold out examinations “if necessary”, an official informed The Business Standard.
The spice mixes flagged in query are manufactured by Everest and MDH, main gamers in India’s spice export business. The prime three importers of India’s curry powders and mixtures, in the fiscal yr 2022-23, embrace the U.S. (₹196.2 crore), U.A.E (₹170.6 crore) and U.Okay. (₹124.9 crore); adopted by Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bangladesh, Oman, Canada, Qatar and Nigeria, as per provisional information by the Indian Spices Board. Overall, China, U.S. U.A.E, Bangladesh and Thailand are the prime importers of all spcies and spice mixes originating from India.
What are the well being considerations?
MDH and Everest’s spice mixes allegedly include excessive ranges of a prohibited pesticide known as ethylene oxide (ETO). ETO is a colourless, flammable, and in some ways, a exceptional fuel that was initially meant for sterilising medical units. It is used as a chemical in industrial settings, agriculture, and as a sterilising agent in meals merchandise, together with spices, dried greens and different commodities. The chemical lends life to the spice business: it reduces microbial contamination, and in flip, extends merchandise’ shelf life and makes their storage protected.
This course of isn’t at all times hermetic. The improper and extreme use of ETO could depart behind residues, inflicting poisonous and even carcinogenic compounds to kind, thus contaminating the product. One such compound is ethylene glycol, an ingredient present in Indian-made cough syrups which have been linked to the deaths of greater than 300 kids in Cameroon, Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan. Long-term publicity to ethylene oxide is related to cancers together with lymphoma and leukaemia, some proof reveals.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has banned the use of ETO and earlier flagged ETO contamination in Indian spices. A latest EFSA report additionally confirmed carcinogenic chemical substances have been present in 527 merchandise (together with herbs and spices) linked to India between September 2020 and April 2024. Possible causes for ETO traces present in extra included the use of non-approved pesticides and processing strategies aimed to cut back microbiological contamination. They have been “found to lead to not approved residues unsanitary processing techniques (e.g. ethylene oxide in guar gum and curry powder from India)”.
MDH has known as allegations over ETO contamination “baseless and unsubstantiated”. “We reassure our buyers and consumers that we do not use ethylene oxide at any stage of storing, processing, or packing our spices,” the firm mentioned in an announcement. It added that neither the Spices Board nor the FSSAI have acquired communication or take a look at reviews from Singapore or Hong Kong authorities.
Is there a historical past of rejections in the U.S.?
On a number of events, the U.S. FDA has rejected Indian merchandise from getting into the nation. A scrutiny of FDA’s import refusal report, for the calendar yr 2023, cites not less than 30 cases whereby entry was refused as a result of the merchandise appeared to include Salmonella. These are brokers identified to trigger salmonellosis – a typical bacterial foodborne sickness. Other than this, there have been not less than 11 counts of merchandise being rejected due to misbranding, adulteration, synthetic colouring or incorrect labelling. The two causes have existed together as properly. The report tabulates Ramdev Food Products to have had the most rejections in the earlier yr (about 30), adopted by MDH (about 19), MTR (7), Everest (5), makers of Catch: DS Group (2) and Badshah (1).
In truth, in September 2019, a recall of MDH’s Sambhar Masala was initiated in the US after FDA found the product was contaminated with Salmonella. The recall terminated in December 2021. Another such recall concerned Everest’s Garam Masala and Sambhar Masala, and Maggi’s Masala-ae-Magic in June final yr. Other than being contaminated with Salmonella.
The U.S. Dept of Agriculture had in February 2022 had said India and Mexico have been prime sources of pathogen-based meals import refusals. Their examine, for evaluation interval 2002-19, held Indian imports had the most variety of pathogen-related violations. With 5,115 refusals – the determine represented 22.9% of total import refusals for pathogen/toxin associated violations.
How has India responded?
The Spices Board, tasked with growing, selling and regulating the export of spices and spice merchandise, operates below the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. On April 25 it introduced a slew of corrective measures – together with initiating obligatory testing of consignments shipped to Singapore and Hong Kong and gathering technical particulars and analytical reviews from the related meals and drug businesses. additionally reportedly working with exporters whose consignments have been recalled attending to the root of the problem and “propose corrective measures”. “Thorough inspections at exporter facilities are also underway to ensure adherence with regulatory standards,” they mentioned.
A round dated April 30 accommodates tips to exporters on stopping ETO contamination, ready “after detailed discussions with the Indian spice industry”. Measures embrace voluntary testing of ETO throughout uncooked and ultimate phases; ETO handled merchandise to be saved individually; to “identify ETO as a hazard and incorporate critical control points in hazard analysis”. Exporters are additionally “encouraged to use alternate methods” akin to steam sterilization or irradiation. The Spices Board issued an analogous advisory in September 2021, after the EU flagged the presence of ETO in spices exported from India.
The public disquiet about security requirements has floated into home markets. More than seven in 10 Indians are anxious about the high quality and security of the spices they eat, in response to a latest Local Circles survey that documented responses from 12,300 individuals throughout 293 districts. Almost 36% of them “had no confidence” that the FSSAI had the capability or willingness to uphold its mandate.
The FSSAI has directed state regulators to gather samples of main spice manufacturers, together with MDH and Everest, to check for the presence of ETO. The physique additionally plans to hold 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”, in response to a Union Health Ministry assertion. The samples examined thus far don’t paint a promising image. In the final three years, practically one-fourth of samples examined failed regulatory requirements, the FSSAI mentioned in its newest launch. The physique has reportedly examined over 4 lack samples in the present fiscal yr, however the ultimate information remains to be being collected.
Activists have known as for stringent security checks of curry powders and spices; to detect and management the use of ETO in meals merchandise; and guarantee correct implementation of regulatory norms. A latest CUTS report additionally advisable recurrently updating meals security requirements to align with international practices, and bettering data circulate to meals industries to that they higher adjust to rules.
What does the incident say about meals security in India?
Despite stringent meals legal guidelines in place, the latest controversies “collectively underscore the persistent nature of food safety challenges across various sectors of the food industry”, notes Ms. Simi.
One problem is operational: India’s various meals panorama, the lack of standardised recordkeeping and intentional meals fraud could stop producers from effectively tracing substances and assessing potential dangers. Other challenges are operational. “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.
Some are logistic barriers. 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.
FSSAI’s operations often lack transparency, which “hinders efforts to meet safety standards”, construct accountability and belief, provides Ms. Simi. The regulator carried out one other pan-India testing of spices two years in the past, outcomes of which have been by no means put out in the public area. Surveys that flagged contamination in merchandise like milk and jaggery “have not resulted in positively addressing the rampant practice of adulteration”.
The malodour of distrust thickens round FSSAI., revealing a rising urge for food stricter regulatory measures and transparency in meals manufacturing and security business requirements. Ms. Simi provides, “There should be a commitment to proactive monitoring and enforcement, rather than reactive responses to individual incidents.”
What probably occurs from right here?
Delhi-based assume tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) in a latest notice held, “With nearly $700 million worth of exports to critical markets at stake, and potential losses soaring to over half of India’s total spice exports due to cascading regulatory actions in many countries, the integrity and future of India’s spice trade hang in delicate balance.”
According to the assume tank, the problem demanded pressing consideration and motion to uphold the repute of the complete ecosystem.
The potential credibility disaster may additionally spiral out into losses for the masala makers – each smaller and bigger gamers. Vijoo Krishnan, General Secretary of the All-India Kisan Sabha defined that the chain of occasions may put different small firms or co-operatives’ exports below a cloud of suspicion.
Importantly, Mr Krishnan defined that in the occasion of potential losses, farmers of such crops too may discover themselves at the receiving finish. “We have instances where companies have not paid appropriate prices to farmers even when they were making profits,” he said, including, “Should the companies make losses now, it could be used as a pretext to reduce prices, thus, burdening the farmer.”
GTRI additionally assessed that if regulators in China observe their friends in Hong Kong, Indian exports may see a “dramatic downturn”. This may have an effect on exports valued at $2.17 billion – about 51.1% of the nation’s international spice exports. The paradigm may additional worsen if the European Union, which it states, “regularly rejects Indian spice consignments over quality issues”, follows go well with. The influence may very well be an extra $2.5 billion, bringing the whole potential losses to 58.8% of worldwide exports.
For perspective, the prime three importers of India’s curry powders and mixtures, in the fiscal yr 2022-23, embrace the U.S. (₹196.2 crore), U.A.E (₹170.6 crore) and U.Okay. (₹124.9 crore); adopted by Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bangladesh, Oman, Canada, Qatar and Nigeria, as per provisional information of the regulatory physique, Indian Spices Board. Overall, China, U.S. U.A.E, Bangladesh and Thailand are the prime importers of all spices and spice mixes originating from India.
