- All spices, including ready-to-eat food, heading to Singapore and Hong Kong must be tested for Ethylene Oxide (ETO) presence and cleared by the Spices Board.
- The Spices Board is the regulatory body under the Commerce Department.
| Spice Board Spices Board was constituted under the Spices Board Act 1986 with the merger of the Cardamom Board (1968) and Spices Export Promotion Council (1960). Spices Board is one of the five Commodity Boards functioning under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It is an autonomous body responsible for the export promotion of the 52 scheduled spices and development of Cardamom (Small & Large). |
| Main Functions | Responsibilities for Export Promotion | Multi-faceted Activities | Package of service for Exporter/Importers |
| Research, Development and Regulation of domestic marketing of Small & Large Cardamom | Quality certification and control | Development and implementation of better production methods, through scientific, technological and economic research. | Helps exporters and importers establish mutual contact. |
| Post-harvest improvement of all spices | Registration of exporters | Guidance to farmers on getting higher and better-quality yields through scientific agricultural practices. | Identifies competent supply sources for specific requirements of importers |
| Promotion of organic production, processing and certification of spices | Collection & documentation of trade information | Provision of financial and material support to growers. | Processes and forwards foreign trade enquiries to reliable exporters. |
- Hong Kong recalled three spice blends made by India’s MDH and a spice mix for fish curry made by Everest.
- Singapore ordered a recall of the same Everest mix, stating it contained high levels of ETO, a prohibited pesticide. It is a colourless, flammable gas that was originally intended for sterilising medical devices. It could cause cancer in humans.
- The U.S. and Australia also raised concerns about the quality of some Indian spices. India exported spices worth $3.95 billion in FY23, per the Spices Board.
Dig Deeper: Read about Food Adulteration and various methods to tackle it
