One In Three Domestic Households Likely To Refrain From Buying MDH And Everest Spices: Survey

New Delhi: In the aftermath of Hong Kong, Singapore, and Nepal banning famous products of Indian spice brands for allegedly containing carcinogenic ingredients, Indians back home are also planning to stop consuming them, keeping the safety issue in mind, a consumer survey has found.

The survey said that one in three households is likely to refrain from buying MDH and Everest spices, whose products have been banned for the alleged presence of ethylene oxide. This cancer-causing agent raises the risk of breast cancer and lymphoma, according to The New Indian Express.

Six in 10 said that actions of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which is probing the matter, and the role of state food departments so far has not instilled any confidence in them to continue consuming these spices. Of the over 13,000 people who participated in the survey conducted by the LocalCircles, only 16 per cent said they are still consuming these brands spices as they have already bought them but are planning to buy packs of other brands from now on.

As many as 20 per cent said they had disposed of packs of these brands from their homes and bought spices from other brands instead. It also found that 42 per cent did not consume any spices from these two popular brands and do not plan to buy them until they are sure of their quality.

However, 17 per cent said they are still consuming spices of these brands even though apart from the ban of four products of these brands by Hong Kong, Singapore and Nepal, the USFDA and other countries like Australia, Maldives, and Bangladesh have also launched investigations into them.

Meanwhile, FSSAI has not found any trace of ethylene oxide in samples of spices of two major brands MDH and Everest that were tested in 28 accredited laboratories, according to news agency PTI. Reports from six other laboratories are still pending. Last month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) started taking samples of spices in powder form of all brands, including MDH and Everest, from across the country given quality concerns flagged by Hong Kong and Singapore.