Nepal has banned spices from the brands MDH and Everest after reports of the presence of ethylene oxide in them.

Nepal’s Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has banned the import, consumption and sale of two Indian spice brands Everest and MDH as it starts test for levels of ethylene oxide, an official told ANI. “Everest and MDH brand spices which are being imported in Nepal have been banned from import. This comes after the news about traces of harmful chemicals in the spices, ban on import was imposed a week earlier and we also have banned the sales of it in the market,” Mohan Krishna Maharjan, spokesperson of Nepal’s Department of Food Technology and Quality Control was quoted as saying by ANI.

“Tests are underway for the chemicals in the spices of these two particular brands. The ban will remain in place until the final report comes up. Hong Kong and Singapore already have banned it, this move comes following their move,” Maharjan further said in a telephone conversation with ANI.

This comes days after Hong Kong and Singapore had also banned spices from these two brands. The Centre for Food Safety of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region had collected samples of three of MDH’s pre-packaged spice products – ‘Madras Curry Powder’, ‘Sambhar Masala Powder’ and ‘Curry Powder’ and Everest Group’s ‘Fish Curry Masala’ for testing under its routine food surveillance programme when it detected the presence of the said pesticide.

In Singapore too, the food regulator found carcinogenic ingredients in the products of both companies, following which authorities have directed the importer of the two brands of spices to initiate a recall of the products.

Ethylene oxide is unfit for human consumption and a cancer risk with long exposure.