Following Singapore, Hong Kong bans sales of MDH, Everest Spices

This is not the first time an Indian spice brand has faced litigation overseas.

New Delhi:

Hong Kong has moved to ban the sale of popular Indian spice brands MDH Pvt. and Everest Foods Ltd after they allegedly detected the cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide in several spice blends. Singapore took similar action against Mount Everest last week, claiming levels of ethylene oxide exceeded permissible limits.

The Center for Food Safety of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced on April 5 that routine monitoring found that three of MDH Group’s spice mixes – Madras curry powder, samba masala powder and curry powder contain ethylene oxide.

A spokesman for the CFS said that the CFS collected the above-mentioned samples from three retail stores in Tsim Sha Tsui for testing under its regular food surveillance programme. The results showed that the samples contained the pesticide ethylene oxide. The center has informed relevant merchants of the relevant situation. and instructed them to stop sales and remove affected products from shelves. ” explain in a statement.

Additionally, Everest Group’s fish curry masala was found to contain the pesticide. Ethylene oxide is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and poses serious health risks, including an increased risk of breast cancer.

In response to the findings, both Hong Kong and Singapore have taken action to protect public health. Meanwhile, Singapore has also recalled Everest products from its shelves, citing pesticide levels above safe levels.

This is not the first time an Indian spice brand has faced litigation overseas. In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered a recall of Everest Food Products after it tested positive for salmonella.