After the ban on four spices of MDH and Everest in Hong Kong and Singapore, now the Government of India has asked the Food Commissioners to collect samples of spices of all the companies. This information has been given in media reports. These products of both the companies were banned due to high quantity of pesticide ethylene oxide in them.
There is a risk of cancer due to excessive quantity of this pesticide in these products. Hong Kong's Food Safety Department had said that high amounts of ethylene oxide were found in three spice mixes of MDH Group - Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala Powder and Curry Powder. This carcinogenic pesticide has also been found in Everest's fish curry masala.
Sources said- All the food commissioners of the country have been alerted regarding this matter. The process of sample collection of spices has been started. In three to four days, samples will be collected from the spice manufacturing units of all the companies of the country including MDH and Everest. Their lab report will come in about 20 days.
There is a ban on the use of ethylene oxide in food items in India. Strict action will be taken if harmful ingredients are found in Indian spices. There is also a provision for criminal proceedings. The government has appealed to the Spice Board under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to spread awareness that no harmful ingredients should be added to the products.
Sources also said that they were testing samples even before the incidents in Hong Kong and Singapore. Claimed that till now no harmful elements have been found in various brands of spices available in the Indian market. This is a continuous process of taking samples. This time, we will take samples at a much faster rate and in greater numbers than what we were taking earlier.
The Spice Board defines ethylene oxide as a flammable, colorless gas at temperatures above 10.7 Celsius. It works as a disinfectant, sterilizing agent and insecticide. It is used to sterilize medical instruments and reduce microbial contamination in spices.
The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies ethylene oxide as a 'Group 1 carcinogen'. That means there is enough evidence to conclude that it can cause cancer in humans. Ethylene oxide can cause cancers like lymphoma and leukemia. Stomach and breast cancer can also occur.
