Recent reports by food regulators in Hong Kong and Singapore on packaged spices containing carcinogenic substances have raised concerns among the Indian consumers about their health.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has responded promptly, ordering quality checks on all the products from MDH and Everest Group.
Now, a survey conducted by LocalCircles revealed that 72% of respondents are worried about quality and safety of the spices they consume following the reports on the products of India’s leading spice brands MDH and Everest.
The survey gathered responses from over 24,000 people across 293 districts of India, taking into consideration the diversity and spice consumption patterns.
The survey highlighted a broader issue of consumer confidence in food regulators. A startling 73% of respondents expressed either no confidence or low confidence in the ability of agencies like FSSAI and other similar state food regulators to ensure food safety through licensing, audits and corrective actions against violators.
The worry has stemmed from findings by food regulators in Hong Kong and Singapore, who have very re recently banned packaged spices from MDH and Everest Group after discovering the presence of ethylene oxide, a pesticide classified as a 'Group 1 carcinogen' by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The Center for Food Safety in Hong Kong detected ethylene oxide in samples of MDH's 'Madras Curry Powder', 'Sambhar Masala Powder', and 'Curry Powder', as well as in Everest Group's 'Fish Curry Masala'.
Similar to this, regulators in Singapore discovered cancer-causing substances in spices produced by both businesses, leading to a recall order for the impacted goods.