EU flags Indian food products!
Between 2019 and 2024, the European Union (EU) flagged over 400 food products exported from India as highly contaminated.
The EU said there are harmful substances like lead, mercury, cadmium, and pesticides in products such as fish, rice, herbs, spices, chillies, and coffee.
Eating these food products can harm people. Lead can cause kidney and brain damage. Mercury can damage the immune system.
Cadmium raises the risk of heart and kidney diseases. There were also cancer-causing substances in the food.
Indian products flagged by other countries.
Hong Kong has banned MDH and Everest Group spices for containing cancer-causing substances.
The US and Maldives have rejected MDH spices. Bangladesh and Australia plan quality checks on the spices.
Constant warnings about Indian foods could make other countries stop buying Indian food products. This can cause poor sales and lead to job losses for Indians.
Government’s reaction to this.
The government has ordered quality tests for many products, including MDH and Everest spices. The FSSAI is also taking steps to ensure the safety of food products.
What can we do?
We must check food labels for ingredients and avoid those with too much added sugar, unhealthy fats, etc.
We can also replace products that have been found to be harmful with organic brands. It’s also a good practice to avoid packaged foods and go for fresh foods and spices instead.
