Space Ban Row: No ban on Indian spices in Singapore and Hong Kong, Union Minister told the House

New Delhi| Union Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav told the Lok Sabha that according to the information given by the Commerce Ministry, countries like Singapore and Hong Kong have not banned Indian spices.

However, batches of spices exported from India were earlier recalled due to the presence of ethylene oxide (ETO) in excess of acceptable limits on the part of food safety authorities in Hong Kong and Singapore, Jadhav said in a written reply in the House.

The Spices Board of the Commerce Ministry has taken steps in this matter. These include mandatory pre-shipment checks of spices exported and issuance of comprehensive guidelines to be followed by exporters to prevent possible adulteration at all levels.

Various steps related to procurement, processing, packing, storage, transportation etc. of raw materials have also been taken to meet the different ETO limits of the importing country. Furthermore, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is fully committed to ensuring availability of safe food items to consumers across the country.

According to Jadhav, FSSAI conducts regular monitoring, inspection and sample collection of various food products, including spices, through states and union territories and its regional offices, to ensure quality as prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 and the regulations made thereunder

The Minister said that in case of non-compliance of essential requirements, punitive action is initiated against the convicted Food Business Operators (FBOs) as per the provisions prescribed under the FSS Act, 2006.