What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background (Context of the Article)
• Safety Standards of Indian Spices (Countries that have flagged the issues, Reasons, Health Effects, Challenges, etc.)

Background:

• 
• More than five countries — including Singapore, Hong Kong and the U.S. — have announced an investigation into possible contamination of spice mixes sold by top Indian brands, MDH and Everest.
• The complaints cite the presence of ethylene oxide, a toxic chemical used as a food stabilizer, beyond permissible limits.
• The Spices Board of India in response has initiated mandatory testing of products shipped abroad and is reportedly working with exporters to identify the root cause of contamination.
• The international scrutiny has also stirred a demand for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ensure stringent quality checks on spices and curry powders sold in domestic markets.
• The incident isn’t isolated. Controversies have engulfed protein drinks, fruit juices, health drinks and imported Nestle baby products, drawing attention to regulatory lapses and heightening health concerns.
• The spice mixes flagged in question are manufactured by Everest and MDH, major players in India’s spice export industry.
• The top three importers of India’s curry powders and mixtures, in the fiscal year 2022-23, include the U.S. (₹196.2 crore), U.A.E (₹170.6 crore) and U.K. (₹124.9 crore); followed by Saudi Arabia, Australia, Bangladesh, Oman, Canada, Qatar and Nigeria.

What Are the Health Concerns?

• Use of ethylene oxide (ETO)
  • MDH and Everest’s spice mixes allegedly contain high levels of a prohibited pesticide called ethylene oxide (ETO).
  • ETO is a colorless, flammable, and in many ways, a remarkable gas that was originally intended for sterilizing medical devices.
  • It is used as a chemical in industrial settings, agriculture, and as a sterilizing agent in food products, including spices, dried vegetables and other commodities.
  • The chemical lends life to the spice industry: it reduces microbial contamination, and in turn, extends products’ shelf life and makes their storage safe.
• ETO and its carcinogenic nature
  • The improper and excessive use of ETO may leave behind residues, causing toxic and even carcinogenic compounds to form, thus contaminating the product.
  • One such compound is ethylene glycol, an ingredient found in Indian-made cough syrups which were linked to the deaths of more than 300 children in Cameroon, Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan.
  • Long-term exposure to ethylene oxide is associated with cancers including lymphoma and leukemia, some evidence shows.
• Possible reasons behind the finding of ETO traces
  • Possible reasons for ETO traces found in excess included the use of non-approved pesticides and processing techniques aimed to reduce microbiological contamination.
  • They were found to lead to not approved residues unsanitary processing techniques (e.g. ethylene oxide in guar gum and curry powder from India).
• MDH’s Response:
  • MDH has called allegations over ETO contamination baseless and unsubstantiated.
  • It added that neither the Spices Board nor the FSSAI have received communication or test reports from Singapore or Hong Kong authorities.

How Has India Responded?

• Steps taken by Spices Board
  • The Spices Board, tasked with developing, promoting and regulating the export of spices and spice products, operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
  • It has announced a slew of corrective measures:
    • Initiating mandatory testing of consignments shipped to Singapore and Hong Kong and gathering technical details and analytical reports from the relevant food and drug agencies.
    • Also reportedly working with exporters whose consignments have been recalled getting to the root of the issue and “propose corrective measures”.
  • It also issued circular containing guidelines to exporters on preventing ETO contamination.
  • It also plans to carry out a nationwide surveillance in 2024-25for fruit and vegetables, salmonella in fish products, spice and culinary herbs, fortified rice and milk and milk products.

Challenges Associated with Food Safety in India:

• Primary challenge is operational:
  • India’s diverse food landscape, the lack of standardized recordkeeping and intentional food fraud may prevent manufacturers from efficiently tracing ingredients and assessing potential risks.
  • Traceability is particularly challenging for small and medium sized businesses with limited resources.
• Logistical barriers:
  • At least 10 States/Union Territories lack government or private notified food testing labs, as mandated under the FSS Act.
  • These labs are distributed unevenly across regions; have insufficient number of food safety officers; and were found to operate ineffectively due to resource constraints, showed the FSSAI Annual Report of 2021-22.
  • The absent accountability and consequences often mean enforcement agencies fail to penalize unscrupulous food operators, which fuels the issue.
• Lack of Transparency:
  • FSSAI’s operations often lack transparency.
  • The regulator conducted another pan-India testing of spices two years ago, results of which were never put out in the public domain.

Way forward

• Experts have called for stringent safety checks of curry powders and spices; to detect and control the use of ETO in food products; and ensure proper implementation of regulatory norms.
• A recent CUTS report also recommended regularly updating food safety standards to align with global practices, and improving information flow to food industries to that they better comply with regulations.