The Food and Environmental Safety Authority stated that during its routine inspections, it gathered information from four goods and carried out ethylene oxide detection tests.
The well-known Indian spice brands MDH and Everest are under investigation after a report on April 5th from the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) in Hong Kong, which regularly monitors food quality, revealed that four products from these brands contained ethylene oxide, a pesticide classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and not intended for human consumption.
Using ethylene oxide, the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Safety Authority has identified the adulteration of three spice products: MDH Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala, and Curry Powder and Everest Fish Curry Masala.
During its routine inspections, the Authority reported gathering data from four goods and testing them to find ethylene oxide.”The test results showed that the samples contained a pesticide, ethylene oxide,” the CFS spokesman said.
Food for human consumption containing pesticide residue may only be sold if eating of the food is not hazardous or detrimental to health, per the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap. 132CM). If found guilty, an offender faces a maximum fine of $50,000 and a six-month jail sentence.
Regarding consumer safety in the food business, vendors have been told to cease selling and remove certain products from store shelves, according to a media report released by the Indo Asian-News Service (IANS).
Also Read: Prior to being suspended in Hong Kong, MDH encountered rejections in the US.
The CFS disclosed that it is investigating the situation at the moment and will take any required action. After it was discovered that Everest fish curry masala imported from India included ethylene oxide, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) took action.
This irritating material has been linked to lymphoma and breast cancer. Health-related safety measures have been announced by the authorities. The SFA suggested that anyone who purchased these contaminated goods not use them, and that anyone who is concerned should consult a doctor.
Requests for Indian enterprises to take their items from the international market are not unprecedented. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stopped importing at least three batches of MDH’s sambar masala from the US in September 2019 due to complaints of positive salmonella tests.
Due to positive Salmonella test results, the US FDA ordered Everest Food Products to recall their products, including the well-known quick-to-make maggi, sambhar masala, and garam masala. Everest Food Products was also asked to recall their Maggi Magic Masala. The reason these bacteria got their name is because they can induce symptoms like vomiting, fever, disorientation, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
