Food regulator finds no Ethylene Oxide in MDH, Everest Spices amid quality concerns

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has reported that no traces of ethylene oxide were found in samples of spices from 2 major brands, MDH and Everest, tested in 28 accredited laboratories. This finding comes amid ongoing quality checks initiated last month due to concerns raised by Hong Kong and Singapore.

The FSSAI began sampling powdered spices from various brands, including MDH and Everest, following alerts from Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety (CFS). The CFS had warned consumers against certain spice mixes from these brands, citing ethylene oxide levels beyond permissible limits. The products in question included MDH's Madras Curry Powder, Everest Fish Curry Masala, MDH Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder, and MDH Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder.

In response, a pan-India inspection drive was launched on April 22, involving state and Union Territory food safety commissioners and FSSAI regional directors. This drive included thorough inspections of spice manufacturing units and the collection of samples for testing. Everest spice samples were taken from two of their manufacturing facilities, while 25 samples from MDH were collected from 11 facilities.

Each sample was analyzed for compliance with quality and safety standards, including pesticide residues and ethylene oxide levels, at NABL-accredited laboratories. The scientific panel at FSSAI reviewed the results and found no traces of ethylene oxide. Additionally, over 300 samples of spices from other brands were tested, all showing no presence of the chemical.

The scientific panel consists of experts from the Spice Board, CSMCRI (Gujarat), Indian Spice Research Institute (Kerala), NIFTEM (Haryana), BARC (Mumbai), CMPAP (Lucknow), DRDO (Assam), ICAR, and the National Research Centre on Grapes (Pune). To prevent microbial contamination, the Spice Board has issued guidelines for using ethylene oxide as a fumigant for sterilizing spices, in line with international standards.

The FSSAI continues to await reports from 6 more laboratories to complete the comprehensive testing process.