GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) wants the Health Ministry to immediately ban the sale of Everest and MDH brand of spices from India, whose products were found to contain ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing agent.
CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said products of the two brands were widely available in Malaysia, especially on e-commerce platforms.
He said the affected spices were also exported to many regions, including the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia,the Middle East and Australia.
"In view of the danger to our health from ethylene oxide, CAP calls upon the Health Ministry to immediately ban the sale of these two brands of spices from India.
"In view of spices being widely consumed in Malaysia, the Health Ministry should not only conduct tests on spices of the two brands, but also on other spices imported from India.
"Malaysia is the second largest importer of chilli from India, and other main imports include coriander, small cardamom, turmeric and cumin," he said today.
According to a report from Reuters, the United Kingdom's Food Standards Agency (FSA) had applied extra control measures for pesticide residues in spices imported from India, which included ethylene oxide.
"The UK became the first to ramp up scrutiny of all Indian spices after contamination allegations against two brands sparked concerns among global food regulators.
"Nepal has become the latest country to ban the import and sale of these two popular Indian spice brands.
"Last month, Hong Kong and Singapore had done the same after tests detected the presence of ethylene oxide in samples.
"New Zealand, the United States and Australia have since said they are looking into issues related to the two brands," he added.
Besides being used in pesticides, ethylene oxide is also used as a sterilising agent in food processing, including the preparation of spices, to prevent illnesses caused by salmonella and E. Coli.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, regular exposure to the colourless and odourless chemical could increase the "risk of cancers of the white blood cell".
"Meanwhile, consumers should refrain from consuming spices imported from India until the authorities can ensure that it is safe for consumption, Mohideen said.