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Nearly 12 percent of herbal samples tested failed to meet quality and safety standards, according to data obtained by Reuters from tests by Indian authorities after several countries took action over contamination risks in two popular brands.
India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority has been conducting inspections, sampling and testing on mixed spice blends after Hong Kong suspended the sale of some blends under the MDH and Everest brands in April due to high levels of a pesticide.
Britain has subsequently tightened controls on all spice imports from India, while New Zealand, the United States and Australia have said they are investigating the problems with the brands.
MDH and Everest have said their products are safe to eat. Their spices are among the most popular in India — the world’s largest exporter, producer and consumer of spices. They are sold in Europe, Asia and North America.
“Based on current information, we have no evidence that the issues identified impact any products currently available in the Canadian market,” a spokesperson for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) told CBC News in an email Tuesday.
The CFIA added that it continues to closely monitor the situation.
The data, obtained by Reuters under India’s Right to Information Act, showed that 474 of the 4,054 samples tested between May and early July did not meet quality and safety criteria.
WATCH | Food as Medicine:
Medical students at the University of Alberta have combined their passions for health and cooking in a new culinary medicine elective. Each month, future doctors attend a lecture and cooking class to hone their skills. We went into their kitchen to see what they had to say.
The safety agency told Reuters in a statement that it did not have brand-by-brand breakdowns of the herbs tested, but that it was taking appropriate action against the companies involved.
“Action has been taken against non-compliant samples as stipulated,” the report said, citing penal provisions in Indian law, without going into details.
Reuters wanted public data on all samples that failed the tests, but the agency said such data was not available.
India’s domestic spice market was valued at $10.44 billion US in 2022, according to Zion Market Research. Exports of spices and spice products were a record $4.46 billion US in the fiscal year ended March.
