On April 5, Hong Kong’s meals security division flagged the presence of a carcinogen in two spice mixes imported from India.
Traces of ethylene oxide had been present in Everest’s fish curry masala powder and three spice blends made by MDH or Mahashian Di Hatti – Madras curry powder, sambhar masala combined powder, and curry powder combined masala. Each firms defended their merchandise in opposition to the costs.
The Hong Kong discovering set off a collection of alarm bells.
On April 18, the Singapore Meals Company issued a recall of Everest’s fish curry masala. The company requested individuals to hunt medical assist if they’d already consumed the recalled batches. By April finish, 5 extra nations both issued a ban, a recall or introduced they’ll examine imported Indian spices.
For customers in India, the reviews led to a number of questions. Why has the presence of this carcinogen in spices not been flagged in India earlier than? Why did it take Hong Kong to boost the alert?
As Scroll came upon from conversations with meals regulators and officers, the presence of the pesticide has, maybe, largely gone undetected for a exceptional purpose – Indian legal guidelines don’t mandate that spices offered within the home market be examined for ethylene oxide, or any pesticide residue, except there are particular instructions from the authorities.
After the Hong Kong alert, as an example, the Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India requested all states to check spice manufacturers for pesticide residue.
The carcinogen did present up within the check outcomes.
In Maharashtra, the meals regulator’s checks revealed the presence of ethylene oxide in 5 samples of Everest masala, officers informed Scroll. However they’re uncertain about how you can proceed and have requested FSSAI to determine on the following plan of action.
Solely Rajasthan has announced the recall of some batches of Everest and MDH spices.
The complete image of what the inspections have revealed throughout the nation, or what motion, if any, is being thought of in opposition to the 2 manufacturers, isn’t clear.
The Spices Board of India, which regulates export of spices, has made it compulsory to check all spices meant for export for ethylene oxide after the Hong Kong alert. No such check has been made obligatory for spices offered within the home market.
Absence of pesticide exams
For routine exams for spices, the norms laid down by Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India don’t ask for pesticide detection.
Furthermore, in particular circumstances, pesticide residue is barely examined in entire or particular person spices – and never in spice mixes reminiscent of those flagged by Hong Kong.
In routine testing of spice mixes – reminiscent of a fish curry masala – Meals and Drug Administration officers test for synthetic colouring brokers, misbranding, whether or not components match the label, and for adulteration.
“Provided that a particular marketing campaign has been introduced by the state or central regulator, or if we now have a particular requirement, will we check for pesticide residue,” mentioned Suhas Ingole, joint commissioner of meals in Maharashtra.
Such a state of affairs emerged after the worldwide alarm over the Indian merchandise.
In April, the Meals Security and Requirements Authority of India requested all states to check spices made by MDH, Everest and different manufacturers for the presence of pesticides.
Scroll filed a Proper to Info question with FSSAI concerning the findings of the exams.
Whereas the authority didn’t give national-level knowledge, it mentioned that it discovered 13 samples of spices collected from 9 states unsafe for human consumption, one other seven had been misbranded and three had been substandard. Nevertheless, of the 251 samples collected, 104 haven’t even been examined but.
An unsafe report may imply both pesticide residue was present in them or dangerous adulteration was detected.
The FSSAI’s west zonal workplace, which incorporates Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, and the Union territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, discovered two samples of MDH and Everest unsafe for consumption, in accordance with the RTI response.
Meals regulators within the North East zone collected 4 samples of Everest and located them secure however didn’t check any pattern of MDH, in accordance with the RTI response.
Individually, Rajasthan reported that its check confirmed one batch of Everest and two batches of MDH had been unsafe for consumption.
Officers in Maharashtra informed Scroll that they’d discovered samples of the carcinogen, ethylene oxide, in 5 samples of Everest masala.
However such measures, as Scroll came upon, have led to no nationwide motion. “Now we have written to the FSSAI to know how we must always proceed,” mentioned Suhas Ingole.
The pesticide
Ethylene oxide is a sweet-smelling colourless gasoline used as a pesticide, as a disinfectant in agricultural merchandise, and within the industrial sector as a steriliser for medical gear and fumigation of cosmetics.
A direct inhalation of the gasoline poses threat of lymphoma, breast most cancers and leukaemia.
The Centre for Meals Security, Hong Kong, in its launch, mentioned “it has been categorized as a Group 1 carcinogen”. Its use is banned in meals in most nations, together with India.
Specialists informed Scroll that ethylene oxide might have entered the spice combine both as a result of it was used on crops or as an affordable agent used to sterilise and disinfect spices.
“Spices in storage are liable to an infection from germs reminiscent of salmonella micro organism,” mentioned Kaushik Banerjee, principal scientist from Indian Council of Agricultural Analysis. “Ethylene oxide might help kill the micro organism. It has a low boiling level at 10.7 diploma Celsius. This implies it evaporates instantly abandoning virtually no residue.”
Beneath Indian legislation, ethylene oxide isn’t registered as a pesticide, which implies its use is forbidden in agriculture or in any meals. “It isn’t registered as a pesticide beneath Insecticide Act, 1968, and subsequently not regulated,” mentioned Deepak Shah, chairman of Crop Care Federation of India. “Ideally it should not be used as a pesticide on crops.”
Meals inspectors Scroll spoke to, nevertheless, admit its presence is widespread within the meals business.
“We imagine ethylene oxide is used as fumigant in storage warehouses for spices or as pesticide throughout cultivation,” an FDA officer from Maharashtra mentioned. “However that’s out of our jurisdiction to check or monitor. Our function comes when the spice is able to be offered available in the market.”
A FDA laboratory director informed Scroll the presence of ethylene oxide is “commonplace” in spices, condiments, and even fruit and veggies.
Specialists mentioned there’s a want to interchange ethylene oxide as a disinfectant resulting from its well being and environmental impacts, however options reminiscent of steam sterilisation or irradiation haven’t been as well-liked. “The one answer is to take care of a hygienic storage facility to keep away from an infection,” Banerjee mentioned.
Dr Narasimha Reddy Donthi, a public coverage skilled from Pesticide Motion Community, identified that Indian legal guidelines are so relaxed that the pesticide residue left behind by ethylene oxide is commonly missed within the home market. “It’s only when spices are exported that such exams are carried out as a result of different nations are strict about it,” Donthi mentioned.
The worldwide market
The presence of pesticides in Indian spices has been flagged earlier than by a number of nations. In 2023, USA rejected 8% and Germany rejected 18% of spices exported from India resulting from pesticide residue, in accordance with knowledge from Crop Care Federation of India.
A report by the European Union launched days after the Hong Kong alert identified that ethylene oxide was discovered principally in spices imported from India.
Such reviews can adversely have an effect on India’s commerce in spices, consultants warn.
A report by World Commerce Analysis Initiative in Could mentioned that 51.1% of spice exports, value $2.17 billion, could possibly be affected if Indian spices proceed to get rejected by international nations.
“This example may worsen if the European Union, which commonly rejects Indian spice consignments over high quality points, follows go well with. An EU-wide rejection may influence a further $2.5 billion, bringing the full potential loss to 58.8% of India’s worldwide spice exports,” the report said.
Following the Hong Kong recall, the Spices Board of India on Could 7 declared that ethylene oxide can not be used as a fumigating agent and producers should search for different sterilisation.
Spice exporters have to check uncooked materials, packaging materials, and the ultimate product for contamination and carry a root-cause evaluation in the event that they discover ethylene oxide, the board mentioned.
Testing handicaps
However whereas exports are set to endure cautious scrutiny, such a notification has not been issued for spices offered within the home market.
A meals analyst informed Scroll that they require subtle exams reminiscent of mass spectrometry and gasoline chromatography to detect pesticide residue in spices. “Most authorities labs shouldn’t have the gear to conduct these exams,” the analyst mentioned. “Now we have to ship them to non-public labs for testing.”
There are solely 73 such laboratories in India which have the capability to do that check.
“With so many samples and few labs to check them, the ready interval to get the outcomes shall be lengthy,” a authorities meals inspector informed Scroll.
The backlog reveals up in lots of states. In Maharashtra, knowledge accessed by Scroll reveals that 331 samples of spice powder and 89 samples of entire spices had been seized for testing between April 2023 and March 2024.
Of 89 entire spices, 42 have been examined until Could 15. Of them over 50% had been substandard and 4 had been unsafe to be used. Of 331 unfastened and packaged spice powder collected, 150 have been examined. Of them six had been discovered substandard and one unsafe for consumption.
This reporting was supported by a grant from the Thakur Household Basis. Thakur Household Basis has not exercised any editorial management over the contents of this text.