Masala major MDH is in a spicy fix. In the past six months, US customs officials have rejected 31% of spice shipments from Mahashian Di Hatti (MDH) due to salmonella contamination, a report by The Indian Express said.
The refusal rate has doubled since October on a year-on-year basis from 15% earlier. This news comes close at the heels of another trouble that has been brewing for MDH. Both Singapore and Hong Kong suspended sales of some MDH and Everest Food Products on account of detection of a carcinogenic pesticide in spice mixes.
US refusal of MDH shipments doubles YoY
As per the IE report, a total of 11 shipments accounting for about one-third of all the shipments from MDH have been refused since October 2023. The products in these shipments were categorised as “spices, flavours and salts”. Data from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows that between October 2022 and September 2023, the rejection rate was 15 percent.
The data revealed that all the MDH export shipments refused since October 2020 were on the account of salmonella contamination.
Why is salmonella contamination dangerous?
Salmonella contamination puts the health of people at risk, If ingested, foods contaminated with salmonella bacteria can lead to a severe stomach infection affecting the intestinal tract if not adequately cooked.
“Salmonella contamination happens due to unhygienic practices. If you maintain hygiene practices right through the value chain, from harvesting to processing to packaging, you should not be getting salmonella,” a food safety expert said.
MDH plant inspection in US
Earlier in January 2022, the FDA had inspected MDH’s manufacturing plant in xxx (mention plant details). During the inspection, the FDA noted that the plant lacked “adequate sanitary facilities and accommodations”. In addition to this, it also found that the plant’s “equipment and utensils were not designed and constructed to be adequately cleaned or maintained to protect against contamination”.
During the current US federal fiscal year (October 2023 to September 2024), 0.3% of all Everest export shipments have been declined, a significant decrease from the 3% refusal rate in the previous fiscal year. Since October 2023, a total of 5 shipments have been refused, primarily due to violations related to labeling.