Hong Kong Bans Indian Spice Brands
After Singapore, Hong Kong has emerged as the second country to place a ban on the sale of popular Indian spice brands – Everest Food Products Pvt and MDH Pvt – after alleging that carcinogenic pesticide ethylene oxide has been found in several of its spice mixes.
Ethylene Oxide Contamination
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Centre For Food Safety announced that in the routine surveillance programmes, they found the presence of ethylene oxide in three spice mixes which belonged to MDH Group – Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala Powder, and Curry Powder.
- Madras Curry Powder
- Sambhar Masala Powder
- Curry Powder
Meanwhile, it was also found that pesticides were present in Everest Group’s Fish Curry Masala. The ethylene oxide allegedly found in the spices has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and increases the risk of breast cancer.
Response from Everest
Singapore recalled the popular Everest’s Fish Curry Masala after the country’s Food Agency (SFA) highlighted the presence of ethylene oxide at increased levels, which is unsuitable for human consumption.
While responding to WION, the company said, “Everest is a 50+-year-old reputed brand and all our products go through stringent checks in the factory before despatch. We strictly follow the highest hygiene and food safety standards and norms laid down by the concerned authorities and statutory bodies like the Indian Spice Board, FSSAI and others.”
“Before export, every shipment goes through quality inspection by the Spice Board of India. However, we are awaiting an official communication to understand the issue and our quality control team will look into the matter,” it added.
No Response from MDH
WION tried to reach out to MDH for their comment on the issue and no reply has been given so far.
