Rajasthan declares some MDH and Everest spices unsafe for consumption

Rajasthan has informed the Central government that it has found some spices of popular brands MDH and Everest "unsafe" for consumption after tests, a letter showed. The brands have been under scrutiny by regulators both in India and other markets for some time now.

Rajasthan reportedly checked samples of many spices and found a batch of Everest spice mix and two of MDH's "unsafe", according to a private letter from a senior health official, Shubhra Singh, to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Reuters reported on Thursday.

In April, Hong Kong had suspended sales of three spice blends produced by MDH and one by Everest. According to the authorities, the spices contained high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide ethylene oxide.