Various Indian spices encounter quality issues.
The billion-dollar Indian spice market, with its exports to various nations, is currently under scrutiny due to intensified regulations. Recently, authorities in New Delhi uncovered quality concerns that impacted two prominent players in the industry.
A significant proportion of globally popular Indian spices have been found to have quality and safety concerns. As per test results from Indian regulatory bodies, supplied to Reuters, around 12.5% of samples examined revealed such issues. Earlier this year, Hong Kong proscribed the sale of certain Indian spice mixes due to the detection of high pesticide levels. Following this, Britain enhanced its import checks from India. Subsequent investigations were announced by the USA, New Zealand, and Australia.
In response to these developments, the Indian Food Safety Authority carried out examinations, sample collections, and tests on spice mixes. Reuters' data reveals that out of over 4000 samples taken between May and July's early period, 474 demonstrated quality and safety concerns. Officially, the authorities promised to take necessary measures against the erring companies.
The manufacturers singled out by Hong Kong, MDH and Everest, vehemently asserted the safety of their products for consumption. Popular in India, the world's leading spice exporter, manufacturer, and consumer, these brands are also distributed in Europe, Asia, and North America.
A market research firm, Zion Market Research, estimated that the Indian spice market raked in approximately 9.5 billion euros in revenue in 2022. Spice exports reached an unprecedented high of over four billion euros in the fiscal year ending March.
The intensified regulations and quality concerns in the billion-dollar Indian spice market are leading to increased scrutiny from various international markets. For instance, Britain has enhanced its import checks following the detection of issues in certain spices.
The current situation in the Indian spice market could potentially impact the revenue of major players, with significant proportions of samples showing quality and safety concerns.
