The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has found no traces of cancer-causing Ethylene Oxide (ETO) in the samples of MDH and Everest spices, as per sources.
Sources have stated that the scientific panel at FSSAI has cleared a total of 28 samples, all of which show no traces of Ethylene Oxide (ETO).
The regulatory body gathered nine samples of Everest spices from manufacturing facilities located in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Additionally, 25 samples of MDH spices were collected from facilities in Delhi, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Of the total 28 lab reports received and scrutinized, six are still pending.
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Each collected sample underwent analysis to ensure compliance with quality parameters such as moisture content, presence of live and dead insect fragments, and rodent contamination. Safety parameters including heavy metals like lead, copper, and tin, as well as aflatoxins, melamine, 234 pesticide residues, macrobacteria, and additives were also assessed. Furthermore, the samples were analyzed for Ethylene Oxide (ETO) at NABL-accredited laboratories.
Sources mentioned that the panel also scrutinized test reports from over 300 spice samples of various other brands sourced from different parts of the country. These reports conclusively indicated the absence of Ethylene Oxide (ETO).
Earlier this month, sources informed that the government would not shy away from revoking licenses of spice manufacturers should they be discovered violating the regulations concerning acceptable limits for pesticide residue in packaged products.
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On April 22, the food regulator initiated nationwide quality inspections on spices available in the market. This action followed after the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) in Hong Kong and the Singapore Food Agency highlighted the presence of Ethylene Oxide (ETO) in samples of pre-packaged spice mix products from two Indian brands—MDH and Everest Spices—and subsequently recalled them from the market.
“Substances such as ETO are utilized for fumigation to facilitate the storage of these goods. In an ideal scenario, products intended for export should not be diverted to the domestic market,” stated an official from FSSAI previously.
According to a senior official, the FSSAI had gathered more than 1,500 spice samples from both small and large brands across the country for the initiative.
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