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With Singapore and Hong Kong recalling spice mixes from India for having higher than prescribed limit of a pesticide residue, the country’s apex food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mulling a way to ensure all batches of spices and spice mixed for Indian markets by big manufacturers are tested by the companies themselves.
“It is still under discussion but we are planning to mandate testing for each batch of spices — only for the big manufacturers. There are several vendors who process spices in small quantities and sell it locally, this move would not be applicable to them,” said a senior government official in know of the matter.
Asking smaller manufacturers to test each batch would be a cost burden for them, the official said. More importantly, smaller vendors are unlikely to use fumigators like ethylene oxide.
“Fumigation of spices is costly and it is done by the big manufacturers to protect large stocks. Neither do smaller manufacturers need it, nor do they use it,” the official said.
At present, spices, like most other food products, are tested during the random checks conducted by FSSAI and state food safety departments.
The move to test every batch of spices would be on the lines of the quality control and testing that FSSAI already has in place for fortified foods. The official explained there is more vigil on fortified food items for which the active ingredient — micronutrients such as iron or calcium that is added to commonly consumed food products — is mostly imported.
“We have to ensure the safety and quality of the fortificants as well as the finished product. We have asked the importers of active ingredients, the manufacturer of fortificants (a substance prepared with the active ingredients that has to be added to the food), and the manufacturers of the final product to test it and sell it ahead only with a copy of the test. We have also asked the purchasers to not buy any of it without a valid testing certificate,” the official said. A copy of these test reports have to be shared with the FSSAI on its portal.
The official said that most of the big spice manufacturers in the country already have their own labs. They have to test the products and put up a copy on the FSSAI portal.
Ethylene oxide, used to fumigate spices to prevent contamination, was the compound found in higher quantities in spices in Singapore and Hong Kong. After spraying, it breaks down into 2-chloroethanol, which is also considered when testing a product for the maximum residue limit.
Ethylene Oxide is not approved for use in spices in India, however, it is commonly used world over and is usually found in spices that are exported.
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