INDUSTRY
Strict guidelines out to check EtO contamination in spices exports
- IBJ Bureau
- May 21, 2024
India has come out with detailed guidelines to prevent EtO contamination in spices for exports, an official has said. EtO is ethylene oxide, a carcinogenic chemical.
The government has put in place other preventive measures like mandatory testing of spices exported to Singapore and Hong Kong, the official adds.
The steps assume significance amid reports on the recall of two Indian spice brands, MDH and Everest products, in Singapore and Hong Kong due to the presence of EtO residue in certain spices.
“Mandatory pre-shipment sampling and testing for EtO for Singapore and Hong Kong have been started; and guidelines have been put in place for all exporters to avoid possible contamination of EtO covering all stages (sourcing, packaging, transportation, testing) of supply chain for all jurisdictions,” the official has said.
The official adds that periodic sampling is also being done from exporters by the Spices Board, based on which corrective measures are enforced. Explaining the issue, another official notes that in food products, there is a certain degree of failure of samples, and India's sample failure is less than 1 per cent.
“In 2023-24, 99.8 per cent of around 1.4 million tonnes of spices had met quality requirements of different countries, and only 0.2 per cent of all consignments were non-compliant,” the official reveals.
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