Due to the possibility that the spices produced by MDH and another Indian company, Everest, contained excessive amounts of pesticides known to cause cancer, Hong Kong banned their sales.
According to a Reuters study of US regulatory data, MDH has had an average of 14.5% of its exports to the US rejected since 2021 because of the presence of salmonella bacteria.
“MDH encountered rejections”: The Debate Over MDH’s Spice Items.
Due to the possibility that the spices produced by MDH and another Indian company, Everest, contained excessive amounts of pesticides known to cause cancer, Hong Kong banned their sales. It is believed that ethylene oxide can cause cancer over time, making it unsafe for ingestion by humans.
The businesses, however, have refuted these accusations, and spice brand stated that it uses no ethylene oxide at any part of the production process.
Due to the fact that these products are well-known in India and are sold to numerous other nations, authorities in the USA, India, and Australia are investigating this matter.
India is the greatest producer, exporter, and consumer of spices worldwide. India’s domestic spice market was estimated to be worth $10.44 billion in 2022, and the country exported goods valued $4 billion in 2022–2023.
Reports state that because M.D.H included salmonella, a bacterium that can cause gastrointestinal disorders, it was rejected for sale in the US.
According to the most recent data acquired by Reuters from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), over 20% of MDH’s exports to the US were denied after it failed tests for salmonella between October and May.
Also read: Why has India been designated the Cancer Capital of the World?
About 15% of MDH exports were refused in fiscal 2022–2023 due to salmonella, compared to 8.19% in fiscal 2021–2022.
With just 1 out of every 450 shipments being rejected owing to salmonella in the current 2023–24 year, Everest has had very few MDH rejections.
The Spices Board and the US FDA did not respond to requests for comment. The Board has been carefully examining the MDH and Everest facilities to make sure that the strict quality standards are being followed. The public hasn’t been informed of the inspectors’ findings, though.
