The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) commissioned quality checks on MDH and Everest products. This follows complaints that several popular spice blends of two leading brands contained traces of ethylene oxide more than the permissible amount, official sources said.
The FSSAI’s move comes after Hong Kong and Singapore withdrew product variants of the two masala majors in their respective countries.
Sources said FSSAI will also assess whether the products sold by MDH and Everest comply with Indian standards for chemical residues as prescribed by law during the quality checks.
In terms of exports, sources said the regulator may not play a big role as it is the duty of the importing country to test the products and allow them to enter.
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Ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol are chemicals that are used in spices and millets to preserve them longer. They are also used in pesticides as stabilizers.
Scientists have said that consuming these chemicals above the permitted level can be carcinogenic.
Meanwhile, sources said the food regulator has already started the sampling process to test the presence of ethylene oxide in the spices beyond their permissible limits.
The Center for Food Safety (CFS) under the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department recalled the MDH and Everest spice blends on April 5. After that, even the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) recalled Everest Masala. Both agencies found the premixes contained the pesticide ethylene oxide, both regulators said in their press releases.
CFS Hong Kong said in its release that it is recalling MDH Madras Curry Powder, Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder, Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder and Everest Fish Curry Masala.
After releasing CFS on April 5, SFA also withdrew Everest Fish Curry Masala on April 18.
This is not the first time Everest has come under fire from a foreign food regulator.
In 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration recalled Everest Sambhar Masala and Garam Masala because samples tested positive for salmonella. It advises consumers not to consume or destroy the products.
