UK tightens scrutiny of all Indian spice imports amid contamination concerns
London: Britain has imposed stricter control measures on all spice imports from India following reports of contamination against some brands, sparking concerns among global food regulators.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the UK’s Food Standards Agency is enforcing these measures due to concerns about pesticide residues.
Similar actions have been taken by Hong Kong, which banned and recalled certain spices from Indian brands Everest and MDH, and Singapore, which recalled Everest’s fish curry spice mix. Investigations are also underway in New Zealand, the US, and Australia.
In the most stringent crackdown so far impacting all Indian spices, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) said that in light of the concerns it has “applied extra control measures for pesticide residues in spices from India which includes ethylene oxide”.
“The use of ethylene oxide is not allowed here and maximum residue levels are in place for herbs and spices,” Deputy Director of Food Policy James Cooper said in a statement.
According to an analysis, an average of 14.5% of US shipments of MDH spices since 2021 were rejected due to presence of bacteria, BBC reported.
In April, the Hong Kong food safety watchdog banned four spice products of Indian brands MDH and Everest after they found they contained cancer-causing chemicals, ethylene oxide.
In May, Nepal’s Department of Food Technology and Quality Control also banned the import, consumption and sale of the two Indian spice brands.
