MDH and Everest: Indian spices face heat over global safety concerns

So are Indian spices safe? The federal government has instructed all state governments to conduct quality tests. The Spices Board – which has five quality evaluation labs – has issued guidelines to exporters to check for use of ethylene oxide. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is also testing samples. India’s health ministry claims, external the country has one of the world’s strictest Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) standards, with pesticides’ MRLs varying by food commodity and determined through rigorous risk assessments. But something is clearly amiss: in 2022, the…