The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced that no traces of ethylene oxide (ETO), a carcinogenic chemical, were detected in samples collected from MDH and Everest products.
The FSSAI has mentioned that reports from six additional laboratories are still awaited. In response to quality concerns raised by Hong Kong and Singapore, last month, FSSAI initiated the sampling of powdered spice products from various brands, including industry giants like MDH and Everest, from all corners of the country.
The Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety (CFS) had asked consumers not to buy certain spice mix products of MDH and Everest, citing the presence of ethylene oxide beyond the permissible limit. The products subjected to testing include MDH's Madras Curry Powder, Everest Fish Curry Masala, MDH Sambhar Masala Mixed Masala Powder, and MDH Curry Powder Mixed Masala Powder.
A nationwide initiative was reportedly launched on April 22, coordinated through the commissioners of food safety across states and Union Territories, as well as regional directors of FSSAI. This campaign encompassed thorough inspections of spice manufacturing facilities, alongside the sampling and testing of products intended for sale and consumption within the domestic market.
Sources said the samples of Everest spices were picked up from their two manufacturing facilities. As many as 25 samples from MDH have been lifted by FSSAI from their 11 manufacturing facilities, they said.
Furthermore, it was reported that test reports from over 300 samples of spices from various other brands were thoroughly scrutinized by the scientific panel. These reports also definitively affirmed the absence of ethylene oxide. The scientific panel, comprised of distinguished scientists from institutions such as the Spice Board, CSMCRI (Gujarat), Indian Spice Research Institute (Kerala), NIFTEM (Haryana), BARC (Mumbai), CMPAP (Lucknow), DRDO (Assam), ICAR, and the National Research Centre on Grapes (Pune), played a pivotal role in this examination process.