The EU has found cancer-causing chemicals in 527 Indian products reaching their borders.
Last night, after an hour or two of Internet search, I believe I succeeded in finding out the likely source of that list, and what I saw is really worrying. I will share all my findings in this post, and also share the links so that you may explore the lists and check the data for yourself. Bit of a long post, though I’ll try to keep it concise.
Just last week too, Hong Kong and Singapore had banned some varieties of MDH and Everest masalas because they contained ethylene oxide, a proven cancer causing agent, above permissible levels.
EU, HK and Singapore have either banned the products or returned the consignments from their borders. But the more important question here is: as primary consumers of the produce, that too in bulk, are we being taken for a ride? What’s the quantum of health risk to us, and are our regulatory bodies any good?
The EU’s decision was based on recommendations from the European Food Safety Agency that relies on the findings of an intra-authority information network that operates across national borders - the European Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).
The RASFF data can be accessed from a site called the RASFF window (see screenshot). I have included the link at the end of this post. I searched the RASFF database with two keywords - ethylene oxide and India. The results can be downloaded in either csv or xls format (see screenshot).
Findings - Hazardous levels of ethylene oxide were found in every conceivable food product : spices, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, chia seeds, cinnamon, pepper, fennel, cardamom and many other food varieties.
Ethylene oxide was also found in many health supplements, so called immune boosters and herbal medicines and all these products were either withheld or returned from the EU’s borders.
Searching products originating from India, I found that there were 1094 RSAFF notifications from 17th May 2019 to 26th April 2024 and these red flags included aflatoxin, pesticide residues, mycotoxins, nitrofurans, Salmonella, chlorpyriphos, anthraquinone, cadmium, mineral oil, mercury and multiple other hazardous contaminants with potentially serious health risks.
My worry - we all consume these food articles on a daily basis, and I won’t be surprised if we are unwittingly getting exposed to large doses of hazardous or cancer causing agents. I can only hope that FSSAI or other food safety regulators in India are doing their job.
Explore the RASFF window yourselves. It never harms to stay informed.