'No cancer-causing agents in our products': MDH on quality claims

Ethylene Oxide is a chemical used to preserve spices for longer and is also used in pesticides. Its consumption beyond permissible limits can be carcinogenic

MDH Spices has denied allegations that its products have traces of cancer-causing agent ethylene oxide (ETO), calling them “untrue” and “lacking any substantiating evidence.”

“Amid speculations doing rounds that there is presence of ETO in our products, we clarify and state unequivocally that these claims are untrue and lack any substantiating evidence,” a statement released by the company said.

This statement came days after the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) in Hong Kong flagged the presence of ETO in samples of pre-packaged spice mix products of MDH and Everest Spices.

ETO is a chemical used to preserve spices for longer periods and is also used in pesticides. Its consumption beyond permissible limits can be carcinogenic.

The CFS, in a release dated April 5, 2024, had further suspended sales of the affected products in the country. These included the Madras curry powder, sambhar masala mixed masala powder, curry powder mixed masala powder by MDH and the fish curry masala by Everest.

However, denying these claims, MDH further stated, “Additionally, MDH has not received any communication from the regulatory authorities of Singapore or Hong Kong. Our statement is further supported by the fact that nodal regulatory authorities such as the Spice Board of India and FSSAI have not received any communication or test reports from Hong Kong or Singapore authorities regarding this matter.”

“We reassure our buyers and consumers that we do not use ETO at any stage of storing, processing, or packing our spices. We abide by health and safety standards, both domestically and internationally. The MDH tagline, ‘Asli Masale Sach Sach, MDH MDH,’ and ‘Real Spices of India,’ reflect the company's genuine commitment to provide authentic, high-quality spices to their customers,” it added.

Following the CFS notification, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on April 18, too, had issued a notification to recall the Everest fish curry masala after finding traces of ETO in it.

Following these reports, Indian food regulator FSSAI — on April 25 — had commissioned nationwide quality checks on MDH and Everest products.