Amid the recent halt on the sales of some of the products by MDH and Everest in Singapore and Hong Kong, the Federation of Indian Spice Stakeholders (FISS), Unjha Gujarat, claimed that if quick action is not taken regarding the permissible limits of Ethylene Oxide, Indian spice export may stumble down by around 40% in FY25. FISS also requested the government to take a reasonable stand before the escalation of the issue.
Recently, Singapore and Hong Kong have halted the sales of some of the products by Indian spice companies MDH and Everest due to the higher level of Ethylene Oxide in the samples than the permissible limit. Commenting on the issue, U Karthik, Co-Chairman, FISS, said, “Ethylene Oxide (EtO) is allowed to control or kill the microorganisms in spices and other food products. The government regulatory body gives licences for its use and only authorised bodies can do the treatment with EtO. After being properly treated and only after a certain cooling period, the product is exposed to the air. Furthermore, EtO’s boiling temperature is 10 degree celsius which means it is in gaseous form at room temperature and the harmfulness is negligible.”
Ashwin K Nayak. Chairman, FISS, said, “Ethylene Oxide is not used as a pesticide in India, rather it is used for sterilisation of agri products and the medical equipment which are also used for operating on human bodies. The Crop Corporation of India also does not identify EtO as a pesticide. The industry is requesting the government authorities to set up reasonable limits of EtO quantity so the exporters can plan accordingly.”
Talking about EtO being carcinogenic, Karthik said, “Using EtO for sterilisation is efficient both cost wise and quality wise. The cost of EtO sterilisation is around Rs 3 per kg while steam sterilisation costs around Rs 13-15 per kg. EtO sterilisation also helps the spices in retaining their aroma, clour, flavour and all other qualities. There is no doubt that EtO is included in the list of Group 1 carcinogens by the International Agency for Research in Cancer, but compounds like nicotine and alcohol are also there in the same list and they are consumed directly. Right now, we need to understand the limit and tolerance level of EtO in our dietary practices.”
It may be interesting to mention that some countries like EU countries (0.10 mg/kg), USA (7 mg/kg) and Singapore (50 mg/kg) have specified their limits for permissible EtO quantity, some like Germany has banned it altogether while others including India, China and Hong Kong have no specific limit for EtO contamination. According to the American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) estimates, between 45% and 85% of spices in the USA are treated with EtO. The data of DGCI&S and RBI shows that, till February 2024, India exported spices worth $ 3.67 billion and EU, USA, China and Middle East are the largest export destinations for Indian spices.