On Wednesday, the food safety regulator of New Zealand announced that it’s probing potential contamination in spice products from prominent Indian brands MDH and Everest, following scrutiny in other nations.
After Hong Kong suspended sales of three MDH spice blends and one from Everest last month due to high levels of the cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide, the United States and Australia initiated investigations into contamination. Singapore also mandated a recall of the Everest spice mix.
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New Zealand Food Safety, in a statement to Reuters, acknowledged being informed about the recalls conducted overseas.
Jenny Bishop, the acting deputy director general of the regulator, stated, “Ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, has been phased out for food sterilization in New Zealand and various other countries. Since MDH and Everest spices are sold in New Zealand as well, we are actively investigating this matter.”
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MDH and Everest did not provide comments in response to requests. However, they have previously stated that their products are safe for consumption.
Following global scrutiny, regulatory authorities in India have inspected MDH and Everest plants and sent samples for testing. However, the results have not been released to the public as of now.
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MDH and Everest have been well-known household brands in India for decades. Additionally, their products are exported to various regions including the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Australia.
An analysis of U.S. Food and Drug Administration data has revealed that since 2021, MDH has experienced an average rejection rate of 14.5% for its shipments to the United States due to the presence of salmonella bacteria.
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