US food regulator gathering information on Indian spices after alleged
contamination
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[April 27, 2024]
By Rishika Sadam and Aditya Kalra
HYDERABAD (Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is
gathering information on products of Indian spice makers MDH and Everest
after Hong Kong halted sales of some of their products for allegedly
containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
"The FDA is aware of the reports and is gathering additional information
about the situation," an FDA spokesperson told Reuters on Friday.
Hong Kong this month suspended sales of three MDH spice blends and an
Everest spice mix for fish curries. Singapore ordered a recall of the
Everest spice mix as well, saying it contains high levels of ethylene
oxide, which is unfit for human consumption and a cancer risk with long
exposure.
Reuters is the first to report the U.S. FDA's review of alleged
contamination of Indian spice products.
MDH and Everest did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for
comment on this matter.
Everest has previously said its spices are safe for consumption. MDH has
not responded to queries about its products so far.
MDH and Everest spices are among the most popular in India and are also
sold in Europe, Asia and North America. India's food regulator, the Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is now checking the
quality standards of the two companies, following the moves in Hong Kong
and Singapore.
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![](../images/042724PIX/health43.jpg)
Boxes of Everest fish curry masala are stacked on the shelf of a
shop at a market in Srinagar, April 23, 2024. REUTERS/Sharafat
Ali/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Apr/27/images/ads/current/peasley_lda_051513.png) India's Spices Board, the
government's regulator for spice exports, said on Wednesday it had
sought data on MDH and Everest exports from authorities in Hong Kong
and Singapore, and was working with the companies to find the "root
cause" of the quality issues as inspections started at their plants.
In 2019, a few batches of MDH's products were recalled in the U.S.
for salmonella contamination.
(Reporting by Rishika Sadam; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and
Tom Hogue)
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