India to conduct quality checks on MDH and Everest products for cancer-causing pesticide: Report

Indian authorities have decided to takeaction against popular Indian spice brands which were recently banned by Hong Kong and Singapore over quality concerns, news agency Reuters reported on Monday (Apr 22) citing official sources.

The report mentioned that India's food safety regulator FSSAI will conduct quality checks on brands MDH and Everest Group after their sales were banned by the above-mentioned nations for allegedly containing a cancer-causing pesticide.

While speaking on the condition of anonymity, the official said that the inspections would test for the presence of ethylene oxide, which is a harmful pesticide unfit for human consumption. Experts have previously said that long-term exposure to ethylene oxide can cause cancer.

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Both MDH and Everest are extremely popular brands in India. They also export to various places, including the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and the United Kingdom.

But both have landed in hot waters. On April 5, the Hong Kong regulatory decision was announced on the website of the country's Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

A few days after that, on April 18, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) asked for the recall of 'Everest Fish Curry Masala' due to the presence of the same pesticide.

"The Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong has issued a notification on the recall of Everest Fish Curry Masala from India due to the presence of ethylene oxide at levels exceeding permissible limits," the food agency said in a statement.

While responding to WION, the company said, "Everest is a 50+-year-old reputed brand and all our products go through stringent checks in the factory before despatch. We strictly follow the highest hygiene and food safety standards and norms laid down by the concerned authorities and statutory bodies like the Indian Spice Board, FSSAI and others."

"Before export, every shipment goes through quality inspection by the spice board of India. However, we are awaiting an official communication to understand the issue and our quality control team will look into the matter," it added.

WION has reached out to MDH for a comment on the issue but no reply has been received so far.

This is not the first time, Everest has landed in a controversy since the US Food and Drug Administration recalled two of Everest's spice mixes after they tested positive for Salmonella in June 2023.

(With inputs from agencies)