The US customs have rejected nearly a third of spice shipments exported by MDH Pvt Ltd due to salmonella contamination over the last six months, according to a report.
Moreover, the rate of rejection since October 2023 has increased twofold compared to the previous year due to salmonella, reported The Indian Express. Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause diarrhoea and nausea.
This comes amid reports that Hong Kong food safety regulator Centre for Food Safety (CFS) ordered recall of certain MDH masala powder products over presence of cancer-causing ethylene oxide, a pesticide.
These include MDH's Madras Curry Powder, Mixed Masala Powder and Sambhar Masala Powder. Everest's Fish Curry Masala was also recalled by Hong Kong's CFS and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
However, MDH has dismissed the allegations regarding the presence of pesticides in its products and assured its customers that all its products are 100 per cent safe. The company said it abides by health and safety standards, both domestically and internationally. "MDH tagline, 'Asli Masale Sach Sach, MDH MDH' and 'Real Spices of India' reflect our genuine commitment to providing authentic, high-quality spices to customers," it stated.
It stated that it has not received any communications from the food regulators in Hong Kong or Singapore. MDH added that the Spice Board of India or the Indian food regulator, FSSAI, have also not received any communication or test reports from these foreign authorities.
"This reinforces the fact that the allegations against MDH are baseless, unsubstantiated, and not backed by any concrete evidence," the spice maker stated. "MDH reassures its buyers and customers about the safety and quality of all its products. We reassure our buyers and consumers that we do not use Ethylene Oxide (ETO) at any stage of storing, processing, or packing our spices."
In September 2019, US regulator Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had asked MDH to recall its sambhar masala distributed in northern California over salmonella contamination.
In June 2023, the FDA had ordered recall of Everest's sambhar masala and garam masala as well as Nestle's Maggi Masala-ae-Magic from 11 states after the products tested positive for salmonella.
