FSSAI bans Everest Hing: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the sale of compounded hing from the country’s two major spice brands, Everest and Laljee Godhoo. Laboratory tests have found the asafoetida samples from both the companies below the prescribed quality standards. FSSAI has clarified that the ban applies only to asafoetida products and there is no ban on companies’ other spices like garam masala, egg curry or chicken masala.
Samples were taken from the market after customer complaint
The whole affair started when a customer complained about the quality of hing. FSSAI then decided to check the samples of all leading hing brands available in the market. Apart from the Mumbai-based centrally licensed units, the Everest factory in Umargam, Gujarat was also sampled in collaboration with the state food department. All these samples were found to be of low quality in the lab report.
Critical Defects Revealed in Investigation:
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Reduce the quantity of genuine hing: As a rule, compounded hing requires at least 5 percent alcohol soluble extract (genuine hing) along with glue, starch and flour. But investigations found this amount to be only 0 to 3 percent, indicating that 30 to 40 percent less genuine hing was being used.
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Excess of starch: An examination of six varieties of genuine asafoetida from Lalji Godhu, which should not contain more than 1 percent starch as a rule, found instead 15 to 32 percent starch.
Orders to stop sales and recall products across the country
Keeping in view the health protection of consumers, FSSAI has banned the sale of both brands of hing across the country with immediate effect. Along with this, both the companies have been directed to recall the low quality stock from the market and clarify about improving the quality in future.
