The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control in Nepal has issued a ban on the importation, consumption, and sale of two Indian spice brands, Everest and MDH. This action comes as the department initiates testing for ethylene oxide levels in these products.
This development comes after reports surfaced regarding high levels of ethylene oxide traces in the products, leading Nepal to ban these two spice brands.
Mohan Krishna Maharjan, spokesperson for Nepal’s Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, stated that Everest and MDH brand spices imported into Nepal have been prohibited from entry. This decision follows reports of harmful chemical traces found in the spices. The import ban was imposed a week prior, and sales of these products in the market have also been halted.
“Tests are currently ongoing to detect chemicals in the spices of these two specific brands. The ban will persist until the final report is released. Following the lead of Hong Kong and Singapore, which have already implemented bans, Nepal has taken this step,” Maharjan added.
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According to Indian Government sources, the permissible use of EtO ranges from 0.73 percent to as high as 7 percent in various countries.
Government sources emphasized the need for establishing a universal standard for the use of EtO across different countries. Additionally, they noted that the spices banned in these nations constitute less than one percent of India’s total spice exports.
In the meantime, the Spice Board of India has initiated measures to guarantee the safety and quality of Indian spice exports to these regions.
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The board has enacted the suggestions of the Techno-Scientific Committee, which conducted a root cause analysis, inspected processing facilities, and gathered samples for testing in accredited laboratories.
Additionally, the Spice Board of India convened a stakeholder consultation, engaging more than 130 exporters and associations including the All India Spices Exporters Forum and the Indian Spice and Foodstuff Exporters’ Association.
Furthermore, the board has disseminated guidelines for EtO treatment to all exporters. These measures have been implemented by the Spice Board to mitigate EtO contamination in spices exported from India.
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In April, the Hong Kong food safety watchdog prohibited four spice products from Indian brands MDH and Everest after discovering the presence of cancer-causing chemicals, ethylene oxide.
On April 5th, the Centre for Food Safety of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region disclosed that its routine surveillance programs had detected ethylene oxide in three spices from MDH Group: Sambhar Masala Powder and Curry Powder.
