Indian authorities launch spices probe after Hong Kong, Singapore pull products from shelves over cancer-causing pesticide

An insider at the Spices Board of India, which oversees quality standards, said the two companies concerned, MDH and Everest, had been asked to explain how the products were tested and if all regulations were met, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

Both companies are established brands in India and their products are exported worldwide.

Everest said its spices were safe to consume and its products were exported only after the board had given the green light. MDH has not commented on the matter.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had also started collecting samples of the spices in powder form from all brands across the country, including the two companies, to check if they met relevant standards, an agency insider told Indian news outlet PTI.

In early April, Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety ordered four pre-packaged spice mix products from India to be recalled after it found the pesticide ethylene oxide in samples during regular surveillance.

The products were Everest’s fish curry masala and MDH’s Madras curry powder, Sambhar masala mixed masala powder and curry powder mixed masala powder.

The centre asked vendors, distributors and importers to recall the affected products and urged the public not to consume them.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified ethylene oxide as a Group 1 carcinogen, a substance known to cause the disease.

In Hong Kong, the sale of food containing pesticide residue is banned, with offenders facing a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and six months’ imprisonment upon conviction.

Following Hong Kong’s move, the Singapore Food Agency on April 18 ordered the importer there to recall the Everest product as well. Under the city state’s regulations, the substance is not authorised for