Spices Board Steps Up to Prevent EtO Contamination

New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) Spices Board has taken a series of steps, including mandatory pre-shipment testing of these products being exported to Singapore and Hong Kong, to prevent possible EtO contamination, Parliament was informed on Friday.

These steps were taken after specific batches of a few spice mixtures exported from India were recalled by Food Safety Authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore due to the presence of ethylene oxide (EtO), a carcinogenic chemical, above permissible limits.

As part of its import surveillance, the Singapore Food Agency put the consignments of spices from certain Indian brands under the hold-and-test regime for a period of one month.

"Spices Board has taken various steps including mandatory pre-shipment testing of spices being exported to these destinations, issuance of comprehensive guidelines to be followed by exporters to prevent possible EtO contamination at all stages," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

He clarified that Indian spices have not been banned by Singapore and Hong Kong.

All the food commodities, including spices whether manufactured/ processed domestically or imported for consumption in domestic markets in India, are required to comply with the standards laid down under the food safety and standards regulations.

In a reply to a separate question, Prasada said that India and Sri Lanka are negotiating an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) which covers both goods and services.

"India's immediate neighbours are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The volume of two-way trade (import and export) with immediate neighbours for the last 5 years is USD 676.6 billion," he said.