Quality Crackdown: Centre Orders States To Test All Spices After Everest, MDH Export Controversy

The Centre has ordered all state governments to test spices to assure their quality following a recent controversy involving spices exported from India.

This decision comes as earlier efforts by the Spices Board and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to sample spices did not yield definitive quality assessments.

In Uttarakhand, R Rajesh Kumar, the state commissioner of food safety, has directed the testing of all spice products manufactured within the state, which houses over 50 spice manufacturing units.

"The commissioner has ordered the food safety officers of all 13 districts to go to spice manufacturing units and do sampling to check the quality of different spices," said Commissioner, Food Safety and Drug Administration.

The ongoing controversy regarding MDH and Everest spice companies could threaten over half of India's spice shipments, PTI reported citing a report on Wednesday.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) also announced recently that it is investigating claims of contamination in spice mixes from MDH and Everest, which could lead to product recalls in Australia, mirroring actions already taken in Hong Kong and Singapore.

The core of the controversy is the alleged detection of carcinogenic ethylene oxide and salmonella contamination in their products.

Ethylene oxide is typically used as a fumigating agent, while salmonella is a common bacterial cause of food-borne illnesses.

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