Strict import controls have been introduced on Indian spices entering the UK, after allegations that two brands’ products are contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical.
Other nations worldwide have suspended sales or launched their own investigations after high concentrations of the pesticide ethylene oxide were found in products made by MDH and Everest, Reuters reports.
The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) deputy director James Cooper said:
“The use of ethylene oxide is not allowed here, and maximum residue levels are in place for herbs and spices”.
“If there is any unsafe food on the market, the FSA will take rapid action to ensure consumers are protected."
Crackdown
In the UK there are no set standards for spices, though criteria surrounding the use of pesticides are in place. The FSA has stated that it has “applied extra control measures for pesticide residues in spices from India”, including ethylene oxide, which is known to cause cancer and sterilisation in high quantities.
In recent weeks, Hong Kong suspended sales of MDH and Everest products, while Singapore issued a product recall. Other nations, including the US, New Zealand, Australia and India itself, have said that they are conducting their own investigations.
Reuters also reports that these aren’t the first health and safety concerns raised by the brands, finding that, since 2021, an average of 14.5% of MDH’s shipments to the US were rejected at the border due to the presence of bacteria.
The EU also released a report on pesticides that highlighted excessive concentrations of ethylene oxide in peppercorns and chillis imported from India.
Declining quality?
While MDH has been producing spices for over a century and Everest has a 57-year trading history, standards across the Indian spice sector have been called into question in recent years.
Narasimha Reddy Donthi, a researcher and environmental activist, told the BBC that the country’s reputation as a spice exporter has been “declining in the last few years, with the government's inadequate attention”.
“We do not yet know at which stage the contamination is happening. Ethylene oxide is not used by farmers. It is most probably a post-harvest, post-processing residue.”
Internally, India has been increasing testing for contamination. Samples are tested by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and each state has been requested to carry out tests by the federal government.
Within India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, a dedicated Spice Board, with five labs nationwide, is offering guidance to exporters on how to check for the presence of ethylene oxide in their products.
Indian spice sector
Spices are big business for the Asian nation, with Indian exports worth almost US$4bn, which accounts for 12% of global sales. It exports over 200 products in the industry to 180 countries worldwide.
The majority of its biggest markets for spices are concentrated in South-East Asia and Australasia, although the US is also one of the biggest importers.
In 2022, the UK imported $23m worth of spices from India, just under one fifth of overall spice imports.