New Delhi, August 29 (IANS). Keeping in mind the safety of health and food quality of consumers, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the sale of compounded asafoetida of the country's two leading spice brands Everest and Lalji Godhu. This action has been taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, when the asafoetida products of both the companies did not meet the prescribed quality standards during investigation.
FSSAI, while sharing the information on social media platform
However, the authority has clarified that the action is limited to asafoetida products only and no ban has been imposed on other masala products of the companies such as garam masala, egg curry masala or chicken curry masala.
The case started after a consumer lodged a complaint regarding the quality of asafoetida. After receiving the complaint, FSSAI initiated a comprehensive investigation of various asafoetida brands available in the market. In initial laboratory tests, compounded asafoetida of Everest and Lalji Godhu was found to be not up to the quality standards.
After this, detailed testing was conducted by taking samples from the centrally licensed manufacturing units of both the companies in Mumbai. Additionally, sampling was also done at another manufacturing unit of Everest located in Umargaon, Gujarat in collaboration with the State Food Safety Department. All the samples tested revealed serious quality deficiencies.
As per food safety regulations, pure asafoetida is mixed with gum, starch and flour to make compounded asafoetida. But it must contain at least 5 percent alcohol-soluble extract, which is considered a key indicator of the presence of genuine asafoetida.
During investigation, it was found that the quantity in the products of both the companies was only between 0 to 3 percent, which means that the amount of genuine asafoetida in the products was much less than the prescribed standards and consumers were not getting the expected quality product.
During the investigation, six different varieties of pure asafoetida obtained from the unit of Lalji Godhu & Company were also tested. According to the rules, the amount of starch in pure asafoetida should not be more than 1 percent.
However, during laboratory testing, the amount of starch in these samples was found to be 15 percent to 32 percent, which is many times more than the prescribed limit. According to experts, this indicated that adulteration or serious quality deficiencies were present in the product.
In view of these serious irregularities, FSSAI has issued an order banning the sale and distribution of Compounded Asafoetida of Everest and Lalji Godhu across the country.
Also, both the companies have been asked to explain what steps they are taking to remove these deficiencies and how they will make the products as per the prescribed standards in future.
The authority has also advised companies to consider voluntarily recalling the concerned batches available in the market, to ensure that the interests of consumers are protected.
It is noteworthy that the authority is continuously monitoring such products which do not comply with the prescribed standards. In this case too, after investigation, prompt action has been taken to send a message that no compromise on the quality of food products will be accepted.
Consumers have been advised to pay attention to licensing, labeling and quality information when purchasing food products and to report any suspicious products to the relevant authorities.
–IANS
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