Danger chemicals could be lurking in your spice rack
THE food standards watchdog is raising the alarm after growing concerns about the black market spice industry.
Two of India’s most popular spice brands – MDH and Everest – are under scrutiny after Singapore and Hong Kong halted sales following suspected elevated levels of ethylene oxide.
These brands are frequently sold in independent shops in the UK and available to buy online via Amazon and eBay. While both brands last month insisted their products are safe, the Food Standards Agency has called for extra controls on all Indian spice imports as a precaution.
The FSA expressed concern over the possible presence of ethylene oxide – a “cancer-causing pesticide residue” – in products sold to UK retailers. Natasha Smith, deputy director of food policy at the FSA, said: “The use of ethylene oxide is not allowed here, and maximum residue levels are in place for herbs and spices. If there is any unsafe food on the market, the FSA will take rapid action to ensure consumers are protected.”
Meanwhile, the watchdog has shared its growing alarm over wider criminal activity linked to spices imported to the UK. An FSA-commissioned report published in February said cheap substitutes were sometimes used to bulk out products – described as a “lucrative” black market within the industry.
Food security professor Christopher Elliot, who led the government’s response to the horse meat scandal in 2013, said: “There is so much evidence that spices contain some dangerous pathogens and can also be subject to massive fraud.”