Spices, Safety, and Skepticism: India's Ongoing Food Quality Crisis
India's booming spice industry faces growing concerns over food safety, as regulatory failures and nationalist politics undermine consumer protection.
The Story:
India, home to a vast population of 1.4 billion people and a large diaspora, is struggling to maintain the safety of its food supply. Despite being a global powerhouse in spice production and export, the country is facing serious concerns regarding the quality and contamination of its food products. India is a global spice powerhouse, exporting over 200 spices and value-added products worth $4 billion to 180 countries. The domestic market is also massive, worth $10 billion.
One prominent issue is the presence of unsafe substances in Indian spices. In recent years, regulatory authorities in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the United States have detected elevated levels of the carcinogenic pesticide ethylene oxide in spices produced by two of India's leading spice brands, MDH and Everest. These discoveries have led to bans and increased scrutiny of Indian spice exports, with the European Union and other countries also raising concerns about the issue.
The US FDA is also investigating products from MDH and Everest brands for potentially containing the pesticide, with an average of 14.5% of US shipments of MDH spices being rejected since 2021 due to the presence of bacteria. The problem extends beyond just spices. In the past, Indian food products, including baby cereal, have been found to contain high levels of added sugar and other contaminants. The country has also faced issues with the safety of generic drugs, with incidents of cough syrups containing toxic substances causing deaths in export markets.
According to the police, the contents of fake spices they discovered during a raid on two factories in Delhi included "made with rotten leaves and rice, spoiled millets, wood dust, chili heads, acids and substandard oils." This highlights the lax regulation and poor enforcement of food safety in India.
The Indian regulator has denied the link between the spice scandal and a recent relaxation of pesticide residue limits, claiming that India has the most stringent norms. However, experts such as the Delhi-based think tank Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) believe the recent quality concerns could threaten half of India's spice exports due to "cascading regulatory actions in many countries," and the situation could worsen if the EU, which is has raised concerns about discovering cancer-causing substance in samples of chilli peppers and peppercorns from India, follows suit.
Mr Reddy Donthi, an independent researcher and environmental justice activist, the long-term consequences of quality concerns regarding Indian spices can be quite crippling "It is not only the negative attention. Repeated cases of excessive residues can have a long-term effect. In the past, mango exports to the US suffered for years due to pesticide residues".
The root causes of these food safety challenges are multifaceted. Lax regulation, poor enforcement, and corporate greed have been identified as primary factors. However, the role of nationalist pride and anxiety about international humiliation has also emerged as a concerning element, with Indian officials sometimes dismissing or downplaying legitimate concerns raised by foreign regulators.
In 2015, Nestle's Maggi noodle brand faced a ban due to high lead levels detected in a single batch from a store in Uttar Pradesh, India. Despite Nestle conducting safety tests on over 1,000 batches, the Maggi poisoning scare was based on weak evidence. The government's decision seemed influenced by nationalist politics rather than scientific reasoning. During this time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration was strongly nationalist, and yoga guru Baba Ramdev, an ally of the government, promoted his herbal products as superior to those of Western companies like Unilever and Nestle. Simultaneously, as Maggi noodles returned to the market after the ban, Ramdev's company, Patanjali, introduced its own wheat noodles, claiming they were healthier, even though they lacked regulatory approvals.
The View:
India's approach to food safety is deeply flawed and requires a fundamental overhaul. The country's regulatory bodies have demonstrated a concerning lack of transparency and a tendency to prioritize nationalist rhetoric over substantive action to address legitimate concerns raised by international authorities.
The repeated incidents of contamination and safety issues in Indian food products, from spices to baby cereals, suggest a systemic failure in the country's food safety infrastructure. The lax enforcement of regulations and the apparent disregard for the well-being of consumers, both within India and in the global market, are unacceptable. Moreover, the government's defensive and dismissive response to criticism from foreign regulators is deeply troubling.
For instance, the police have described the contents of fake spices they discovered during a raid on two factories in Delhi as "made with rotten leaves and rice, spoiled millets, wood dust, chili heads, acids and substandard oils." This highlights the lax supervision and poor regulation of food safety in India.
Additionally, the nationalist pride and anxiety about international humiliation seem to be affecting the country's approach to food and drug safety. As whistleblower Dinesh Thakur has commented, any criticism of the generic drug industry in India is often "seen through the lens of nationalism."
Nationalist pride and a desire to avoid international humiliation should never take precedence over the health and safety of the population. This approach not only jeopardizes the lives of Indian citizens and the country's vast diaspora but also threatens the integrity of India's exports and its reputation as a reliable global supplier of food products.
To address these issues, India must take urgent and decisive action. Strengthening food safety regulations, investing in a robust nationwide monitoring system, and ensuring strict enforcement are crucial steps. Transparency and open communication with both domestic and international stakeholders are essential to rebuilding trust and credibility. Failure to address these shortcomings will not only continue to put the health and safety of millions at risk but also undermine India's standing in the global community. The country's political leadership must prioritize the well-being of its citizens and the integrity of its food supply over nationalist posturing and narrow economic interests.
TLDR:
India is a global spice powerhouse, exporting over $4 billion worth of products to 180 countries.
Regulatory authorities in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US have detected elevated levels of the carcinogenic pesticide ethylene oxide in Indian spices.
The US FDA is investigating products from leading Indian spice brands, MDH and Everest, with an average of 14.5% of US shipments of MDH spices being rejected since 2021 due to the presence of bacteria.
Fake spices discovered during a raid in Delhi contained "rotten leaves and rice, spoiled millets, wood dust, chili heads, acids and substandard oils," highlighting the lax regulation and poor enforcement of food safety in India.
The Indian regulator has denied the link between the spice scandal and a recent relaxation of pesticide residue limits, claiming that India has the most stringent norms.
Experts believe the recent quality concerns could threaten half of India's spice exports due to "cascading regulatory actions in many countries," and the situation could worsen if the EU follows suit.
The root causes of these food safety challenges include lax regulation, poor enforcement, corporate greed, and nationalist pride that prioritizes rhetoric over substantive action.
India's approach to food safety requires a fundamental overhaul, with a focus on strengthening regulations, investing in nationwide monitoring, and ensuring strict enforcement to protect consumers.
Insights From:
Why India Struggles to Keep Its Food Safe - Bloomberg
MDH and Everest: Indian spices face heat over global safety concerns - BBC News