Quality concerns may threaten over half of India’s spice exports: GTRI
GTRI) Wednesday said that nearly $700 million worth of India’s spice exports to critical markets are at stake due to cascading regulatory actions in many countries, as concerns are being raised about the quality of Indian spices. It cautioned that if the EU follows suit with a rejection across the bloc, it could impact an additional $2.5 billion of India’s spice exports.
The US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and Malé have raised questions on the quality of spices supplied by leading Indian firms MDH and Everest. India exported spices worth $692.5 million to these countries in FY24.
“This issue demands urgent attention and action to uphold the storied reputation of India’s fabled spice garden,” it said, adding that so far the response from Indian authorities has been tepid and formulaic.
Hong Kong and Singapore banned the sale of popular brands MDH and Everest after detecting carcinogenic chemical ethylene oxide in their products. This led to a mandatory recall from shelves.
“Swift investigations and the publication of findings are essential to re-establish global trust in Indian spices. Erring firms should face immediate repercussions,” it said.
As per the report, the primary violations in these incidents include the presence of ethylene oxide, a carcinogen used as a fumigating agent, and salmonella contamination, a common bacterial cause of foodborne illness.
“This situation could worsen if the European Union, which regularly rejects Indian spice consignments over quality issues, follows suit. An EU-wide
