Government takes action against Everest and MDH over ethylene oxide contamination
In charts: India’s spices exports raise a stink abroad Certain Everest and MDH products were recently found to have violated rules around ethylene oxide residue in Singapore and Hong Kong, resulting in recalls and bans of specific batches of their products in these markets. Hong Kong completely prohibits ethylene oxide in food products, while Singapore has a limit of 50 parts per million. The European Union's limit is even lower, ranging from 0.02 to 0.1 mg per kilo.
Ethylene oxide is used to sterilise spices but can pose health risks, including cancer, if the residue exceeds safe levels. This level differs by country, which complicates matters for exporters. The Spices Board of India's mandate for ethylene oxide testing aims to ensure that Indian spices meet these diverse international standards, protecting consumer health and maintaining market access.
"There is no standardisation of ethylene oxide limits or testing norms globally," another official noted. Also read | Indian spices: the bitter taste of global scrutiny Amid these challenges, Indian standards are improving. "The failure rate of our spices, at 0.2%, is much better than the international average and significantly lower than the 0.73% rejection rate of food consignments entering India," the second official said.
Both are senior officials in the ministry of commerce and didn’t want to be identified. Despite the recent controversies, Indian spice exports are thriving. In FY24, spice exports from India increased to $4.25 billion from $3.76 billion the previous year.
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