MAGAZINE Voices Anand Neelakantan Ravi Shankar Utkarsh Amitabh Neha Sinha Anuja Chandramouli Mata Amritanandamayi Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment NEW DELHI September 15 2024 SUNDAY PAGES 12 The Great Masala Mess SPICE ROOT: Spices sold in the market are often adulterated with chemicals to boost quantity Rampant adulteration and international rejection of toxin-laden spices are giving big Indian brands a bad name. The unregulated nature of the market, carcinogenic pollutants, poor monitoring and awareness, and unscrupulous traders threaten the health of spice-mad India I By Sneha Richhariya n a bustling weekly market in Noida, Kundan Singh, a local spice vendor, sells loosely packed masalas on the street. His stall, set up with open containers of both powdered and whole spices, draws a steady stream of customers. He wraps their purchases in old newspapers. When asked, Singh has no clue about licensing regulations. “I don’t know about that. I bring these from big shops in Kondli market and sell them here,” he says as he nonchalantly swats a bug inching close to the spice jars. Singh is one of the many such vendors, whose products highlight serious concerns about spice contamination. Indians love spicy food, but that chilli in your chutney could be hazardous to health, considering Indian spice market is in the grip of an adulteration pandemic; farmers, producers, storage operators, vendors and even reputed manufacturers do not pass the test. In April 2024, after Hong Kong suspended sale of certain MDH and Everest spice blends, which had high pesticide content, several other countries launched investigations into these Indian products. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted inspections, and the sampling and testing of mixed spice blends in the market. Nearly 12 per cent of the samples failed to meet quality and safety standards. In July this year, the FSSAI cancelled the manufacturing licenses of 111 spice producers across the country . They were instructed to stop production immediately This is in spite of India being the . world’s largest exporter, producer and consumer of spices. India exports more than 200 spices and value-added products worth $4bn to some 180 countries, according to the Spices Board of India. The domestic market is worth a staggering $10bn, making Indians the world’s largest consumers of spices. Made in India spice brands are widely sold in Europe, Asia and North America. Data acquired by Reuters through RTI reveals that out of 4,054 spice samples tested between May and early July 474 failed to meet , the required quality and safety standards. Instead of taking remedial measures, the FSSAI swiftly raised the maximum residue limit (MRL) of pesticides in herbs and spices from 0.01 to 0.1 milligrams per kilogram: a clear indication of either helplessness to counter corporate power, or callousness. Though the decision was revised later, the ten-fold increase has sparked concern among scientists, environmentalists and public health experts. “Pesticide in food leads to serious health problems, including cancer, “If we are not following good agricultural practices, the produce will not meet acceptable standards. Also, poor storage can lead to microbial growth and the presence of pathogens.” Sarika Agarwal, Managing Director, Food Safety Works reproductive problems, and neurological damage,” says Dileep Mavlankar, former director of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar; relaxing MRL would disproportionately affect vulnerable populations such as children and pregnant women who are sensitive to toxic chemicals. India’s response to global food safety concerns is often characterised by what Sarika Agarwal, Managing Director of Food Safety Works, a Bengaluru-based food production company , and an expert in food safety describes as a , “knee-jerk reaction”. Instead of addressing the root causes of food contamination, the government reacts swiftly to international backlash without implementing long-term solutions. “We just say ‘Oh, okay this has , , happened. Let me do this and just put the fire out’,” she laments, pointing out that such a reaction diverts public attention away from systemic issues like inadequate regulations, poor enforcement of food safety laws and chemical misuse. Temporary fixes fail to resolve the root causes, leaving the food supply chain vulnerable to recurring incidents of rejection and safety violations. India’s Murky Spice Route The recent spice contamination issue has brought to light significant gaps in the country’s agricultural and food safety practices. Agarwal says, “Everything that we grow starts at the farm. If we are not following good agricultural practices, such as using clean irrigation water or applying chemicals within the maximum residue limit, the produce will not meet acceptable standards.” She further elaborates on the challenges faced post-harvest: “Poor handling and storage can lead to increased microbial growth and the presence of pathogens.” For instance, she explains that to prevent chillies from breaking during storage, water is often sprinkled on them, which makes them susceptible to microorganisms. Agarwal highlights that these issues extend into the processing phase, where contaminated spices are ground and mixed, further compromising their quality . The use of ethylene oxide, a chemical commonly used for sterilisation, has raised serious concerns in global food safety Despite . being removable with proper ventilation processes, its presence in Indian spice exports has led to product rejections by countries such as Singapore and the EU. This issue is not new; in 2020, Indian sesame seeds were similarly rejected due to high pesticide residue levels, signalling a broader pattern of food safety oversights in India’s export practices. As Agarwal points out, “It’s not the first time products have been rejected.” In most cases, the consumer is none the wiser. Delhi-based homemaker Neena Chawla mostly uses packaged masalas from trusted brands such as MDH. The recent controversy involving the brand came as a shock. But she is not majorly concerned. “We have been using these spices for decades. I trust their quality says the loyal customer. ,” Unlike her, Gurugram-based homemaker Reena Rai has stopped buying the brands that were recently in the news for flouting safety regulations. Her awareness, however, stems from her hospitality industry background. “The FSSAI should take strict action on such contamination cases,” she advises. Then there is Shazia Khan, who runs a cloud kitchen in Delhi, who believes that home-ground spices are the best. “Manufacturers must ensure strict quality control measures and adhere to food safety regulations,” she says. Regulatory Loopholes The concept of food safety is fairly recent in India, with the country’s food safety regulatory system being set up only in 2006. The regulations are overseen by the FSSAI, which was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, passed that same year. The Act defines Food Safety as an “assurance that food Turn to page 2 Food Fundas In India, food safety is governed by a rigorous legal framework designed to ensure that food products meet safety and quality standards. Under the FSSAI, food manufacturers are required to conduct testing on their products twice a year to check for contaminants and safety parameters. Rishi N Mathur, an advocate who works on food laws, explains, “Every manufacturer has to test their products and upload the reports to ensure that they meet the safety standards.” This requirement helps ensure that food products are safe for consumer consumption. The act also stipulates that manufacturing units undergo annual audits by recognised agencies to maintain compliance. “Companies must get their manufacturing units audited at least once a year by an FSSAI-recognised agency,” he says, adding, “The problem is that there is no identical standard as far as food products are concerned for domestic and export markets.” He elaborates that companies producing goods for both Indian and international markets often face difficulties meeting varying standards. For instance, a product manufactured for the Indian market might not meet the stricter standards required in other countries, such as the US or Dubai. “For example in India, the minimum fat required in full cream milk is about 6 per cent, while in the US, the standard is just 3.25 per cent,” he says, explaining that such differences in standards mean that manufacturers must adjust their products to comply with specific regulations for each market, which complicates maintaining uniform quality. “It’s not possible to make identical products with the same standards across different regions,” he points out. From 2020 onwards, FSSAI made it mandatory to include the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) values for major nutrients. This helps consumers make informed choices.