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- Indian Spices Row: Commerce Ministry Says Rejection Rate Of Indian Spices Exports Remain Low
New Delhi34 minutes ago
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Indian spices exports are being closely monitored globally. In such a situation, the Commerce Ministry said on Wednesday that the rejection rate of these items is very low. At the same time, failure of export samples is also less.
“The rejection rate is less than 1% of the total quantity of spices exported by us to major countries,” a top commerce ministry official said. He said the ministry keeps an eye on recall and rejection data.
According to media reports, the Commerce Ministry official said that India exported about 14.15 million tonnes of spices in FY24, of which only a small quantity of 200 kg of spices was recalled.
It is not a big deal for one sample to be affected.
Officials said the sample failure for Indian exports remains at a low level of 0.1% to 0.2%, while the sample failure for spices coming from other countries is 0.73%. He said that one sample being affected is not a big deal. Many times India also rejects the samples of many countries.
Ministry’s statement came after the ban on spices in Singapore and Hong Kong
Recently, Singapore and Hong Kong had banned some products of both MDH and Everest companies due to exceeding the limit amount of pesticide ethylene oxide. There is a risk of cancer due to excessive quantity of this pesticide in these products.
Hong Kong’s Food Safety Department had said that high amounts of ethylene oxide were found in three spice mixes of MDH Group – Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala Powder and Curry Powder. This carcinogenic pesticide has also been found in Everest’s fish curry masala.
Since then, Indian spices have been facing global scrutiny, with regulators in the US, Australia and New Zealand examining the spices. After this, the Commerce Ministry has now given a statement regarding its export and rejection.
India has asked for details from Singapore and Hong Kong
23 days ago, India has sought details from the food regulators of Singapore and Hong Kong regarding the ban of MDH and Everest spices. The Commerce Ministry had also directed the Indian embassies in both Singapore and Hong Kong to send a detailed report on the matter. The ministry had also sought details from MDH and Everest.
Less pesticides allowed in spices than prescribed standards
11 days ago, on May 6, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had refuted all the media reports in which it was being claimed that the Indian Food Controller found 10 times more pesticides in herbs and spices than the prescribed standard. Allows mixing.
FSSAI had said in a press release that ‘all such news are false and baseless. The Maximum Residue Level (MRL) in India is one of the strictest standards in the world. MRLs of pesticides are determined differently for different food materials based on their risk assessment.
Limit was increased for some pesticides
However, FSSAI had acknowledged that for some pesticides, which are not registered with the Central Pesticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC) in India, the limit was increased 10 times from 0.01 mg/kg to 0.1 mg/kg.
This was done only on the recommendation of the scientific panel. CIB & RC regulate manufacturing, import-export, transport and storage etc. of pesticides.
Myclobutanil limit in chilli powder is 2 mg/kg.
- CODEX has set a limit of 20 mg/kg for myclobutanil mixed in chilli powder. Whereas FSSAI allows mixing it only up to 2 mg/kg.
- For another pesticide, spiromesifen, CODEX has set a limit of 5 mg/kg, while FSSAI allows only 1 mg/kg for it.
- Codex has set a limit of 2mg/kg for the use of Metalaxyl and Metalaxyl-M for black pepper. Whereas FSSAI allows it to be mixed only up to 0.5mg/kg.
More than 295 pesticides registered with CIB and RC
There are more than 295 pesticides registered with CIB and RC in India. Of these, 139 pesticides can be used in spices. While Codex has adopted a total of 243 pesticides, 75 of these can be used in spices.
Codex is a global organization protecting consumer health and monitoring food business. It allows food standards to be set and enforced between international government and non-governmental organizations.
Why are pesticides used in spices?
Spice manufacturing companies use pesticides, including ethylene oxide, to protect food items from spoilage by bacteria and fungi such as E. coli and Salmonella, as exposure to these bacteria can shorten the shelf life of spices. . Despite the ban to prevent them from spoiling for a long time, these companies are using pesticides as preservatives or sterilizing agents.
