India’s food safety regulator announced on Thursday ( May 2 ) that it had begun conducting nationwide testing and inspections of all spice manufacturers, furthering the industry’s crackdown as international regulators look into contamination issues involving two well-known local brands.
Sales of an Mountain spice blend for fish dish and three spice blends made by India’s MDH were suspended in Hong Kong last fortnight. Singapore , ordered a recall of the same Mountain mix as well, flagging higher levels of ethylene oxide, which is unfit for human consumption and a tumor hazard with long exposure.
MDH and Mountain materials have a lot of fanfare in India and are also widely distributed in Europe, Asia, and North America, and both companies have claimed that they are secure. US and Asian food officials have said they are gathering more information about the issue, and India has now started testing the products of the two companies.
The American regulator has now mandated that all manufacturing facilities conduct “extensive inspections, picking, and testing” for dry spices, with a particular focus on those producing curry powders and blended spice blends for local and international sales.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India stated in a statement that “each of the product sampled will be evaluated for the conformity with quality and safety variables.”
The company added that after testing was finished, “appropriate activities will be initiated as match” for any appearance of ethylene oxide, whose usage is prohibited in India.
India is the country’s biggest exporter, producer and consumer of ingredients, and its home business for the merchandise was valued at US$ 10.44 billion in 2022, according to Zion Market Research.
Another notable companies include Madhusudan Masala, NHC Foods, and customer titans Tata Consumer Products and ITC.