BENGALURU/HYDERABAD: Spices Board of India has asked MDH and Everest to provide details of quality checks after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
The companies’ products are hugely popular in India and are exported to countries in Europe, Asia and North America.Hong Kong this month suspended sales of three MDH spice blends and an Everest spice mix for fish curries. Singapore has also ordered a recall of the Everest spice mix and advised against its consumption.
Indian food authorities ordered quality checks on MDH and Everest spices on Monday. A senior official at the Spices Board of India, which oversees quality standards and testing guidelines, said on Tuesday that the companies have been asked to explain how the products were tested and if all regulations were met.
“We need to get the relevant details on how this has happened … We need to check if the conditions required by importing countries were met and if our regulations were met,” said the official.
An executive VP for MDH, Rajinder Kumar, declined to comment, while Everest did not respond to queries.
The companies’ products are hugely popular in India and are exported to countries in Europe, Asia and North America.Hong Kong this month suspended sales of three MDH spice blends and an Everest spice mix for fish curries. Singapore has also ordered a recall of the Everest spice mix and advised against its consumption.
Indian food authorities ordered quality checks on MDH and Everest spices on Monday. A senior official at the Spices Board of India, which oversees quality standards and testing guidelines, said on Tuesday that the companies have been asked to explain how the products were tested and if all regulations were met.
“We need to get the relevant details on how this has happened … We need to check if the conditions required by importing countries were met and if our regulations were met,” said the official.
An executive VP for MDH, Rajinder Kumar, declined to comment, while Everest did not respond to queries.
