Based on a LocalCircles survey, 72% of Indian consumers of packaged spices are concerned about the bans in Singapore and Hong Kong

Following the prohibition of packaged spices made by MDH and Everest Group in Hong Kong and Singapore due to the discovery that they included ingredients known to cause cancer, Indian consumers have gone into panic mode. The presence of ethylene oxide, a pesticide categorized as a “Group 1 carcinogen” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, was discovered in these spices. It is said that the FSSAI then ordered quality inspections of MDH and Everest Group goods.

Indian customers, who have been vocal about their worries about contaminated food and the surge in cancer cases, are now more concerned as a result of this. A LocalCircles poll indicates that after the discovery of carcinogens in MDH and Everest products, 72% of customers who purchase packaged spices are worried about the safety of the spices. More than 24,000 respondents from 293 Indian districts answered the poll. Men made up 61% of the respondents, while women made up 39%.

Consumer trust in the FSSAI and state food regulators’ ability to enforce food safety laws via licensing, audits, and remedial action taken against offenders was expressed by 73% of respondents. Merely 3% of customers had “high confidence” in food regulators.

Feedback from residents who run food businesses is reported by LocalCirles to show how widespread corruption is on the ground in areas such as obtaining a food license, audits, and infractions.

When the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s Center for Food Safety discovered the pesticide, it gathered samples of three pre-packaged spice products made by MDH: “Madras Curry Powder,” “Sambhar Masala Powder,” and “Curry Powder,” as well as “Fish Curry Masala” from Everest Group, for testing as part of its regular food surveillance program. Authorities in Singapore have ordered the importer of the two brands of spices to start a product recall after the food regulator there discovered carcinogenic chemicals in the goods of both firms.