Hong Kong and Singapore food agency finds Cancer causing chemicals in popular Indian Spice Brands

Famous Indian spices are receiving international attention for the wrong reasons. Hong Kong’s food regulatory body discovered carcinogenic chemicals in four items from popular Indian brands MDH and Everest.

A report was issued on the official website of Hong Kong’s food regulatory authority, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS), stating that three spice products in India contain cancer-causing substances, including ethylene oxide, a pesticide on April 5th.

The list includes three spice items from two major Indian companies, MDH and Everest, that have exceeded the permitted chemical limit.

Following this, Singapore has recalled Everest fish curry masala imported from India, citing the presence of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing agent that raises the risk of breast cancer and lymphoma.

The three MDH products are – Madras curry powder (spice blend for Madras curry), mixed masala powder, and sambhar masala. The Everest’s Fish Curry Masala is the fourth product.

In its April 5 announcement, it stated that they had alerted the relevant vendors of the abnormalities and directed them to halt sales and remove the implicated products from the shelves.

It stated that the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classed ethylene oxide as a Group 1 carcinogen.

The Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap. 132CM) states that food for human consumption containing pesticide residue may only be sold if it is not dangerous or harmful to one’s health.

According to the CFS’s directives, distributors/importers Sp Muthiah & Sons Pte. Ltd. have been directed to commence recalls of the implicated products.

Following Hong Kong’s food regulator’s discovery of pesticides in these spices, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) stated that it has asked the importer to recall the concerned products completely.

It further said that ethylene oxide is a pesticide that is not approved for use in food. “It can be used to disinfect agricultural products to prevent microbial contamination.”

It went on to say that, while there is no immediate risk of consuming food contaminated with low amounts of ethylene oxide, long-term exposure may cause health problems.

“Therefore, exposure to this substance should be reduced as much as possible.” It further stated that people who purchased the implicated products should not consume them.

“Those who have consumed the implicated products and have concerns about their health should seek medical assistance.”

This is not the first time the two Indian companies have been requested to withdraw their products from international markets.

In June of last year, the US Food and Drug Authority ordered Everest Food items to recall two items, sambhar masala, garam masala, and Maggi masala, after they tested positive for Salmonella. These bacteria can cause food-borne disorders such as diarrhoea, stomach pains, fever, nausea, and vomiting.

In September 2019, the FDA recalled at least three lots of MDHs sambar masala after testing revealed salmonella contamination.