Soutik Biswas India Correspondent
May 15, 2024
Image source, Getty Images
Image Caption, MDH and Everest products are one of the most popular products in India and around the world
“For Indians, spices are like paints in a paint box,” says Madhur Jaffrey, an Indian actor turned food writer. “You can get different shades from the same spice by adding something to it.”
That means you can roast or grind your spices. The variety of flavors is amazing. Indian spices complement the pickles and season the meat. They add flavor to savory foods and street food. Zesty spices energize local fruit drinks and add a tangy twist to fruits and salads.
Not surprisingly, India has emerged as a global spice powerhouse. The company exports more than 200 spices and value-added products to around 180 countries, worth $4 billion (£3.1 billion), according to the Spice Board of India. The domestic market alone is worth an astonishing $10 billion, making it the world's largest consumer of spices.
But now there are concerns about the safety of these famous spices. Last month, Singapore and Hong Kong suspended the sale of some spices made by Indian companies MDH and Everest over suspected elevated levels of the carcinogenic pesticide ethylene oxide.
That's not all. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also investigating the two popular brands for potentially containing pesticides, an FDA spokesperson told Reuters. An analysis of U.S. regulatory data by the news agency found that since 2021, an average of 14.5% of MDH spices shipped in the U.S. have been rejected due to the presence of bacteria. Both brands claim that their products are safe.
The European Union has expressed its own concerns after finding the same carcinogen in samples of chilli and peppercorns from India. According to reports, food regulators in the Maldives, Bangladesh and Australia have also launched investigations.
Image source, Getty Images
image captionThere are many different types of Indian spices
India: a global spice powerhouse
India exports spices worth $4 billion, accounting for 12% of global spice exports Major spices exported include chili powder, cumin, turmeric, cardamom and mixed spices Other Notable exports include asafoetida, saffron, anise, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. China, the United States, and Bangladesh are the largest markets for Indian spices.Other important markets include UAE, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, UK, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong
(Source: Spices Board, Global Trade Research Initiative)
This is clearly a disturbing development. First, both brands are popular and reliable. Based in Delhi, MDH is an iconic 105-year-old family-run business offering over 60 varieties of blended and ground spices. Everest Food Products, a 57-year-old company founded by spice traders, claims to be India's “largest manufacturer of pure and blended spices” and exports to over 80 countries. Bollywood superstars Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan are brand ambassadors for Everest.
Certainly, this is not the first time that Indian spices have been found to be contaminated. In 2014, biochemistry expert Ipshita Mazumdar tested popular spice brands making chilli, cumin, curry powder and garam masala in Kolkata. She discovered that the food coloring used to give spices their bright orange and red hues contained lead. And most recently, in April, food and drug control authorities in Gujarat seized more than 60,000 kilograms of adulterated spices, including chili powder, turmeric, coriander power and pickle masala.
image captionMDH, an iconic 105-year-old family-run business based in Delhi, offers more than 60 varieties of spices
So, are Indian spices safe? The federal government has directed all state governments to conduct quality checks. The Spices Board, which has five quality rating agencies, has issued guidelines to exporters to check the use of ethylene oxide. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is also testing samples.
India's Ministry of Health claims that the country has one of the strictest Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) standards in the world, and that pesticide MRLs vary from food to food and are determined through rigorous risk assessments. There is. But something is clearly wrong. In 2022, the FDA highlighted inadequate cleanliness standards for sanitation, accommodation, and equipment at India's top spice factories.
“India has been an exporter of spices for centuries. However, this image has been declining in recent years due to lack of attention from the government. At what stage is the pollution occurring? We don't know yet. Ethylene oxide is not used by farmers. It's probably a post-harvest, post-processing residue,” said Narasimha Reddy Donti, an independent researcher and environmental justice activist.
“It's not just negative attention; repeated incidents of excessive residue can have long-term effects. In the past, pesticide residues have caused mango exports to the United States to decline for years. It was a blow,” Reddy added.
The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), a Delhi-based think tank, believes that recent quality issues could threaten half of India's spice exports due to “a flurry of regulatory measures in many countries”. ing.
If China questions the quality of Indian spices, more than half of India's global exports could be affected, the GTRI along with five other countries said in a recent report. “The situation could worsen further if the EU, which regularly rejects consignments of spices from India due to quality issues, follows suit.”
For Western spice lovers, the origins of spices in food remain unclear.
“I think most people don't know where spices come from. I certainly don't, and I use them a lot! I live a few blocks from Devon Avenue, Chicago's main Indian shopping district. “I think my spices come from India, but I've never researched this,'' says the author, who specializes in Indian cuisine. Colleen Taylor Senn told me.
Ultimately, India needs to fundamentally rethink its approach to food safety and prioritize transparency, strict enforcement and clear communication to protect the integrity of exports, experts say. ing.