India, renowned as the globe's foremost producer, consumer, and exporter of spices, has sought details from food safety regulators of Singapore and Hong Kong. These nations recently imposed bans on specific spices from Indian brands MDH and Everest, citing quality apprehensions.
The Ministry of Commerce has issued directives for Indian embassies in both Singapore and Hong Kong to compile comprehensive reports on the situation.
Additionally, the ministry has requested specific information from the Indian companies MDH and Everest, whose products have faced bans due to alleged excess levels of the pesticide 'ethylene oxide' beyond permissible thresholds.
Details have been sought from the companies. Root cause of the rejection and corrective actions will be determined along with the exporters concerned, a commerce ministry official said. Technical details, analytical reports and the details of the exporters whose consignments have been rejected have been sought from Embassies at Singapore and Hong Kong, the official said.
Details have also been sought from Singapore Food Agency and Centre for Food Safety, and Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Hong Kong, the official added.