FSSAI cancels manufacturing licences of 111 spice producers across India

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In the month of April, Singapore and Hong Kong banned the sale of popular Indian spice brands MDH Pvt. Ltd, and Everest Food Products Pvt, after the alleged detection of the carcinogenic pesticide ethylene oxide in several products. It was only after this the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) started collecting samples of spices in different cities to do safety checks and as per recent report, they have revoked the manufacturing licences of 111 spice producers over the past month, instructing them to halt production immediately.If reports are to be believed the process is still on and there are chances of more cancellations as FSSAI continues to test 4,000 samples nationwide.These samples include products from well-known brands such as Everest, MDH, Catch, and Badshah, among others.Also Read: These countries have banned the sale of cancer-causing MDH and Everest masalas As per a report by Mint, the regulatory body has tested 2,200 samples; out of those, 111 spice makers couldn't match the basic standard quality of the product. The licence of such spice manufacturers has been already scrapped with immediate effect and production has been stopped.It is also reported that the testing centres under FSSAI are less in number and hence it is taking time to come up with the list of companies whose licenses need to be cancelled.According to the officials, the majority of the canceled licences belong to small spice makers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, with companies from Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh also under scrutiny. Most of these 111 companies are small-scale and could not be contacted as they lack official websites, contact numbers, or email IDs.In the same process, in the month of May, FSSAI conducted a sample test of MDH and Everest and did not find ethylene oxide (ETO). The test included 34 samples of Everest and MDH spices for testing, 9 from Everest's facilities in Maharashtra and Gujarat, and 25 from those of MDH's in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan.According to the ANI report, the tests also included several parameters including moisture content, insect and rodent contamination, heavy metals, aflatoxins, and pesticide residues.The samples were tested for ethylene oxide at NABL-accredited laboratories as well. The FSSAI received around 28 lab reports so far and the chemical was found absent in them.If reports are to be believed, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that it had already been issuing early warning alerts for ETO in various spices from India since before January 2023.For the unversed, Ethylene oxide is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which poses serious health risks, including an elevated risk of breast cancer.As per the online reports, this is not the first time that an Indian spice brand has faced action abroad. In 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered a recall of Everest Food Products after they tested positive for Salmonella.For the unversed, spices are full of nutrition and help fight many health issues. Some spices, such as cayenne pepper and black pepper, contain compounds that may boost metabolism and increase calorie expenditure, potentially aiding in weight management and fat loss. Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, has been studied for its potential neuroprotective effects. It may help improve cognitive function, enhance memory, and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Also, spices like garlic, turmeric, and cayenne pepper have been associated with cardiovascular benefits.Some of the most common spices prone to adulteration include turmeric, chilli powder, black pepper, cinnamon, and coriander powder. Adulterants like starch, sawdust, artificial colours, and chemical dyes are often used to increase volume and lower production costs, compromising the quality and safety of these spices.Due to these rising cases of adulteration, the FSSAI has also said that there will be an increase in the permissible pesticide levels by 10 times. So that the adulteration can be stopped to some extent.Thumb and Embed Images Courtesy: istock