Well-known Indian spices have caught global attention for the wrong reasons. Hong Kong’s food governing authority has indicated four products of prevalent Indian brands Everest and MDH with cancer-causing ingredients. After these findings, Singapore recalled Everest fish curry masala imported from India, noticing the existence of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing agent that increases the danger of breast cancer and lymphoma.
The Centre for Food Security, Hong Kong’s food and ecological controlling body, said it gathered samples of 4 products under its random food investigation program and detected the presence of insecticide ethylene oxide, which is inappropriate for human consumption. The 3 MDH products are –curry powder (spice mixture for Madras curry), assorted masala powder, and sambhar masala. The 4th product is Everest Fish Curry Masala.
In its statement, it alleged that it had informed the vendors concerned of the indiscretions and informed them to halt the sale and eliminate the affected products from shelves. It informed that the International Agency for Research on Cancer has categorized ethylene oxide as a Group 1 poison.
Conferring to the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation (Cap. 132CM), food for humans ingesting pesticide residue may only be sold if consumption of the food is not hazardous or harmful to health. According to the CFS’s orders, the distributors/importers Muthiah & Sons Pvt. Ltd. Have been requested to initiate recalls on the affected products.
After Hong Kong’s food regulator’s identification of insecticide in these spices, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) informed they had informed the trader to recall the affected goods immediately. It added that ethylene oxide is an insecticide that is not approved for use in food. It can be used to disinfect agricultural products to avert microbial infection.
It said that though there is no immediate risk of ingesting food affected with low levels of ethylene oxide, long-term contact may lead to health problems. Hence, exposure to this element should be minimized as much as possible.
Also adding that customers who have obtained the concerned products are recommended not to consume them. Those who have consumed the products and have worries about their health must seek medical assistance.
In June last year, the US Food and Drugs Authority requested Everest Food Products to recall two of its products, sambhar masala, and garam masala, that had tested confirmed for Salmonella. These microorganisms can cause foodborne diseases such as diarrhea, abdominal spasms, fever, and vomiting. In September 2019, three lots of MDH sambar masala were eliminated from the US after the FDA tested positive for salmonella.
Kerala-based liver doctor, Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, who is commonly known as LiverDoc in X, formerly Twitter, said Ethylene oxide is related to cancers such as lymphoma in males and breast cancer in females. If this is the gloomy scene with global exports, what are we exposed to? India has no price for communal health and most individuals are satisfied with distractive politics and faith. We need to initiate an age of Citizen Science in India, to make those responsible, also accountable, he posted.
