New Delhi, May 10: The Spices Board has come out with comprehensive guidelines for exporters to prevent ethylene oxide (EtO) — a carcinogenic chemical — contamination in the products shipped from India amid quality concerns being flagged by certain countries on these goods.
According to the guidelines, exporters would avoid the use of EtO in spices as a sterilising/fumigating agent or any other application; and ensure that transporters, storage/warehouses, packaging material suppliers do not use this chemical at any stage.
Exporters shall take adequate measures to ensure the absence of EtO and its metabolites in spices and spice products throughout the supply chain, it said.
They would also identify this chemical as a hazard and incorporate critical control points to prevent EtO in their Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points and Food Safety Plan in their Food Safety Management System.
“Exporters shall test raw materials, processing aids, packaging materials and finished goods for EtO contamination. On instances of EtO detection, at any stage of the supply chain, the exporters shall perform a root cause analysis and implement appropriate preventive control measures to avoid future recurrence and maintain such records,” the nine-page guidelines said.
They are encouraged to use alternate methods of sterilisation like steam sterilization; irradiation; and other methods approved by food regulator FSSAI.
These guidelines came in the backdrop of Hong Kong and Singapore banning the sale of popular brands MDH and Everest after detecting the carcinogenic chemical ethylene oxide in their products. This led to a mandatory recall from shelves.
It also said that spices, herbs and their source plants shall not be accepted by the establishment if they are known to contain microbial contaminants which will not be reduced to acceptable levels by normal processing procedures, sorting or preparation.
“Special precautions shall be taken to reject spices and herbs showing signs of pest damage/infestation or mould growth, so as to eliminate the potential hazard of mycotoxins such as aflatoxins,” it said, adding that raw materials will be inspected (for foreign matter, odour and appearance, visible mould contamination), cleaned if needed and sorted prior to processing.
