Rajasthan Finds Some MDH, Everest Spices 'Unsafe' for Consumption

In a recent update to the ongoing spice row, Rajasthan's food safety department declared that they found certain spices of the popular brands MDH and Everest "unsafe" for consumption. As per a recent report in Reuters, the state made the declaration to the federal government after performing quality tests in laboratories.

The report further states that in a private letter to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Rajasthan's additional chief secretary for health Shubhra Singh informed that they checked samples of many spices and found a batch of Everest spice mix and two of MDH's unsafe.

Shubhra Singh, in the letter, also urged the state authorities of Gujarat and Haryana, where the MDH and Everest batches were made, to "take action in the matter without delay." The letter, as Reuters reports, had no details of the findings. However, Rajasthan state authorities earlier said in a statement that they seized 12,000 kgs of various spices for alleged contamination. Some of these spices, as per the statement, contained "very high levels" of pesticides and insecticides. Neither FSSAI nor Shubhra Singh made any further comment in regard to the matter till now.