Mint Explainer: The brouhaha behind India’s masala mixes and their contamination
Singapore Food Agency also directed a recall of a spice mix produced by Everest. In June 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had ordered a recall of spice mixes of Everest and Maggi Masala-ae-Magic as it found those contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. A few years earlier, in September 2019, a batch of MDH’s spice mix had been recalled for the same reason.
Mint explains what the regulatory action will mean for the two spice makers, and India’s spice industry in general. Most food safety regulators carry out random testing of samples collected from stores. The Hong Kong regulator carries out these tests routinely, publishes reports, and sends out alerts when it finds levels of certain chemicals exceeding permissible limits applicable in the territory.
Such alerts and bans have been imposed on imports from Indonesia, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan and the US this year. Similarly, the US FDA issues public health alerts and recall orders when it finds food items to be contaminated. The food safety regulators of all countries set out permissible limits of traces of various chemicals, such as pesticides, in food items.
These apply equally to domestic produce as well as imports. For spices, the commerce ministry’s Spices Board requires all exports to undergo mandatory sampling and testing to check for adherence to the standards of the destination country. The Spices Board regularly updates the permitted maximum residual limit of chemicals and toxins in food items.
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