FSSAI halts spice brands' sales due to unsafe samples found
Affected brands are resolving regulatory issues to comply and regain consumer trust in their products
Sumit Rawat
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed several Indian spice brands to halt the sale of specific batches of their products after these batches failed to meet safety standards in recent laboratory tests, as reported by Trak.
Starting a comprehensive nationwide sampling and testing campaign on April 22, FSSAI collected over 4,000 spice samples. Among the 2,000 samples analyzed, 100 were found to contain high levels of pesticides and did not pass the safety criteria.
Brands such as Everest and MDH were implicated in these failed evaluations, prompting Rajasthan to initiate the withdrawal of affected batches. This action by FSSAI aligns with steps taken by food safety regulators in Hong Kong and Singapore, where products from these brands were recalled due to safety concerns.
Companies instructed to cease sales have the option to contest the decision and request retesting of samples at a laboratory designated by FSSAI. Recent developments have heightened international scrutiny of Indian spice companies, with regulators in Hong Kong and Singapore recalling MDH and Everest products for exceeding permissible levels of ethylene oxide.
FSSAI's decisive actions underscore its commitment to ensuring the safety of food products in India, aiming to protect consumers and uphold the reputation of Indian spice brands.
