A recent report has revealed a concerning trend for the Indian spice giants Mahashian Di Hatti (MDH) Pvt Ltd and Everest Food Products Pvt Ltd, with a notable surge in refusal rates for spice-related shipments to the United States attributed to salmonella contamination.
MDH and Everest spices, widely popular in India and also sold across Europe, Asia, and North America, have faced heightened scrutiny in recent months. According to the report, US customs authorities rejected 31% of MDH's spice shipments since October 2023, compared to 15% in the previous year.
This surge in refusal rates over salmonella contamination coincides with actions taken by Singapore and Hong Kong, both of which suspended sales of certain MDH and Everest products over alleged detection of carcinogenic pesticides in spice mixes.
The Indian spice industry is under increased scrutiny from domestic regulators.
The Spices Board, India's industry regulator, has initiated inspections of MDH and Everest facilities to ensure compliance with quality standards, following the actions taken by Singapore and Hong Kong.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Spices Board indicated that it is working closely with the companies to ascertain the root cause of the issues.
The Board has reached out to relevant authorities in Singapore and Hong Kong for data on MDH and Everest exports and is coordinating with Indian missions in these countries to gather more information.
The FSSAI has begun sampling spices in powder form from all brands to assess compliance with regulatory standards.
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