Amid recent uproar over high levels of ethylene oxide (ETO) in leading Indian spice brands, there has been a lot of speculation about whether the spices sold by Indian manufacturers are safe to consume or not. Putting all these speculations to rest, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has confirmed that the spice samples examined by its scientific panel show no traces of ETO.
In the past month, over 300 spice samples, including those from leading Indian brands like Everest and MDH, were tested by various manufacturers across the country. This nationwide inspection was ordered by FSSAI after countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore claimed that spices manufactured by Indian brands were unsafe for consumption. Hong Kong issued a product alert for four products, out of which three products belong to the MDH brand, while Singapore recalled Everest fish curry masala due to high ETO content.
The extensive inspections involved a thorough examination of spice manufacturing units and rigorous sampling and testing of products in the domestic market.
