Following regulatory actions taken in both Hong Kong and Singapore, Indian food authorities inspected Everest products on April 22. The company’s director, Rajiv Shah, emphasized that exports are only cleared after receiving necessary clearances and approval from the laboratories of the Spice Board of India. He stressed that the company’s products are safe and dismissed concerns over quality.
The trigger for regulatory action was Everest’s fish curry masala, which was alleged to contain elevated levels of a cancer-causing pesticide. Singapore’s food agency warned against consuming the implicated product, advising consumers who have purchased it to refrain from doing so.
These developments coincided with Hong Kong’s suspension of sales this month of three spice blends from another prominent company, MDH, which is also undergoing quality checks in India. Hong Kong and Singaporean authorities have expressed concerns over alleged high levels of ethylene oxide in some products from Everest and MDH. Ethylene oxide is deemed unsuitable for human consumption, with prolonged exposure posing a cancer risk. Spices from both Everest and MDH have been popular staples in home and restaurant kitchens across the Indian subcontinent for many years. Everest’s spice mixes are also exported to various regions including Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
