India’s Spices Board has made testing for ethylene oxide (ETO) mandatory for all spices being exported to Hong Kong and Singapore, where authorities last month stopped sales of some products of two Indian spice brands on the ground that they contained high levels of ETO, a carcinogen. Testing has been made mandatory from May 6.
Makers of spice mixes use different methods to prevent development of microorganisms like E Coli and Salmonella in their products. Of these, treatment using ETO is one of the cheapest.
Most developed countries have stringent pesticide and chemical residue norms for food items. Singapore allows 50 ppm (part per million) of ETO, while Hong Kong has zero tolerance for it. In the US, authorities accept 7 ppm of ETO, while the European Union and the UK accept 0.10 ppm ETO.
“To address the concerns regarding ethylene oxide (ETO) contamination in spice products, the Spices Board has decided to commence mandatory ETO testing in spice consignments exported for Singapore and Hong Kong,” the Board said in a circular issued on Thursday.
Hong Kong and Singapore stopped sales of some spices of Indian brands MDH and Everest on April 18 over concerns that they have high levels of ETO.
India had earlier made ETO testing for spices mandatory for exports to the EU and the UK after they rejected consignments in 2021.
The industry says that although it prefers freedom to operate, this step of mandatory testing is necessary for damage control.
“All the Spice consignments, including ready-to-eat (RTE) products, destined for Singapore and Hong Kong shall be accompanied with a cleared analytical report for ETO issued by Spices Board,” the Board said.
For all the spice consignments exported to Hong Kong and Singapore, ETO testing has been included under the Mandatory Sampling and Testing Programme.
Shailesh Shah, director of Jabs International, which exports spices, said, “We accept the decision of the Spices Board to make ETO testing mandatory for Singapore and Hong Kong.”
Experts said Indian food regulators are taking a reactive approach, as testing is made mandatory only after imports are banned.
“India mostly has a reactive approach to the presence of contaminants in the export of conventional spices,” said Chinmayee Deulgaonkar, Managing Director, FoodChain ID India (CERT ID), which provides certification and regulatory tools to the food and agriculture industry. “Instead, we need to be proactive in approach, based on past experiences from other countries…”