"For Indians, spices are like paints in a paint box", says Indian actor-turned-food
writer Madhur Jaffrey. "We get different shades from the same spice by
doing something to the spice."
In other words, you can roast the spices or grind them into
powders. The diversity of their flavours is mind-boggling. Indian spices
enhance pickles and season meat. They flavour savouries and street food. Zesty
spices energise local fruit drinks and add a tangy twist to fruits and salads.
Unsurprisingly, India has emerged as a global spice
powerhouse. It exports more than 200 spices and value-added products to some
180 countries, worth $4bn (£.1bn), according to the Spices Board of India. The
domestic market alone is worth a staggering $10bn, making it the world's
largest consumer of spices.
But now, concerns are emerging regarding the safety of these
renowned spices. Last month, Singapore and Hong Kong halted sales of some
spices produced by Indian companies MDH and Everest over suspected elevated
levels of ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing pesticide.
That's not all. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is
also investigating products from the two popular brands for potentially
containing the pesticide, an FDA spokesperson told Reuters. An analysis done by
the news agency of the US regulatory data found that since 2021, an average of 14.5% of US shipments of MDH spices were
rejected due to presence of bacteria. Both brands insist that their
products are safe.
The European Union (EU) has raised concerns of its own,
discovering the same cancer-causing substance in samples of chilli peppers and peppercorns from India.
Reports say that the Maldives, Bangladesh and Australian food regulators have
also launched investigations.
India: Global spice powerhouse
·
India exports nearly $4bn worth of spices,
accounting for 12% of global spice exports
·
Major spices exported include chilli powder,
cumin, turmeric, cardamom and mixed spice
·
Other notable exports include asafoetida,
saffron, anise, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon
·
China, the US and Bangladesh are the biggest
markets for Indian spices
·
Other significant markets include the UAE,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UK, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong
Clearly, it is a disturbing development. For one, both the
brands are popular and trusted ones. Delhi-based MDH, an iconic 105-year-old
family-run firm, offers a range of more than 60 blended and ground spices. The
57-year-old Everest Food Products, launched by a spice trader, claims to be
India's "largest manufacturer of pure and blended spices", exporting
to over 80 countries. Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood
superstars, have served as Everest's brand ambassadors.
To be sure, this is not the first time Indian spices have
been found to be contaminated. In 2014, Ipsita Mazumdar, a biochemistry expert,
tested popular spice brands in Kolkata which made chilli, cumin, curry powder,
and garam masala. She found lead in the food colouring used to give the spices
vibrant orange or red hues. And more recently in April, food and drugs control
authorities in Gujarat seized more than 60,000kg of adulterated spices - chilli
powder, turmeric and coriander power and pickle masala.
So are Indian spices safe? The federal government has
instructed all state governments to conduct quality tests. The Spices Board -
which has five quality evaluation labs - has issued guidelines to exporters to
check for use of ethylene oxide. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of
India (FSSAI) is also testing samples.
India's health ministry claims the country has one of the world's strictest
Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) standards, with pesticides' MRLs varying by food
commodity and determined through rigorous risk assessments. But something is
clearly amiss: in 2022, the FDA highlighted inadequate sanitary facilities,
accommodation, and equipment cleanliness standards at a premier Indian spice
plant.
"India has been a spice exporter for centuries. But
this image has been declining in the last few years, with the government's
inadequate attention. We do not yet know at which stage the contamination is
happening. Ethylene oxide is not used by farmers. It is most probably a
post-harvest, post-processing residue," says Narasimha Reddy Donthi, an
independent researcher and environmental justice activist.
"It is not only the negative attention. Repeated cases
of excessive residues can have a long-term effect. In the past, mango exports
to the US suffered for years due to pesticide residues," Mr Reddy adds.
Delhi-based think tank Global Trade Research Initiative
(GTRI) believes the recent quality concerns could threaten half of India's
spice exports due to "cascading regulatory actions in many
countries".
If China questions the quality of Indian spices, over half
of India's global exports could be affected, joining five other countries, the
GTRI said in a recent report. "The situation could worsen if the EU, which
regularly rejects Indian spice consignments over quality issues, follows
suits."
For spice enthusiasts in the West, the origin of the spices
in their food remains unclear.
"I don't think most people are aware of where their
spices come from. I certainly don't, and I use spices a lot! I live a few
blocks from Chicago's main Indian shopping district, Devon Avenue, which is
where I buy my spice. l assume they come from India but have never looked into
this," Colleen Taylor Sen, an author specialising in Indian cuisine, told
me.
In the end, experts say, India must fundamentally overhaul
its approach to food safety, prioritising transparency, stringent enforcement
and clear communication to safeguard the integrity of its exports.
