Brand record
MDH: FSSAI record
Last checked 19 September 2026. A few details are still being checked against the original document.
MDH spices are not banned or recalled in India; Hong Kong and Singapore recalled three MDH products in April 2024 over ethylene oxide, and FSSAI's laboratory checks in May 2024 found no ethylene oxide in Indian samples.
- Classification
- Cleared after review or testing
- Decided by
- FSSAI; Spices Board of India
- Reference
- FSSAI statement on 28 laboratory reports, 21 May 2024; Hong Kong CFS and Singapore SFA recall notices, April 2024
- Latest action
- 21 May 2024
- Last checked
- 19 September 2026details being verified
MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti) spices logo (PD-textlogo). Photo: MDH spices logo.png by Mahashian Di Hatti Private Limited (Public domain). Brand names and logos belong to their owners and are used here to identify the product this entry is about. All photo credits.
No traces of ethylene oxide found in MDH, Everest spice samples: FSSAI
We have not yet found this action in a published government document. Treat it as reported, not confirmed. If you have the order, send it to us.
Scope. A record here does not by itself mean a product or company is unsafe or banned today. Regulatory actions can apply to one batch, one formulation, one period or one state. Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date. How we label records.
Below: Blacklisted's explanationWe explain what has been reported. The report above is the best source we hold.
Key facts
- Products recalled abroad
- Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala, Curry Powder Mixed (Hong Kong CFS; Singapore SFA), April 2024
- Alleged contaminant
- Ethylene oxide (ETO), a sterilising agent not permitted in food in India
- Indian outcome
- FSSAI: no ETO detected in 28 accredited-lab reports on MDH and Everest samples (21 May 2024)
- Export step
- Spices Board mandatory ETO testing for consignments to Singapore and Hong Kong from April 2024
- Status in India
- Never recalled or banned
In April 2024 Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety and the Singapore Food Agency withdrew several Indian spice mixes after detecting ethylene oxide, a sterilising gas that is not permitted in food in India and is regulated as a carcinogen in several jurisdictions. Three MDH products were named: Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala and Curry Powder Mixed. Everest's Fish Curry Masala was recalled alongside them.
India's response ran on two tracks. The Spices Board introduced mandatory ETO testing for consignments bound for Singapore and Hong Kong. FSSAI sampled MDH and Everest products from the domestic market and, on 21 May 2024, announced that 28 reports from accredited laboratories found no ethylene oxide. No recall, prohibition or licence action was taken in India.
The correct description is therefore that MDH was cleared in India and recalled in Hong Kong and Singapore. Reports describing the brand as 'banned' or 'recalled in India' are inaccurate. Search interest remains high because the foreign recalls made international headlines and because the ETO question fed into later EU and US import scrutiny of Indian spices.
What this means for you
The recalls were abroad
Hong Kong and Singapore withdrew specific export lots. No recall was issued in India, and Indian retail stock was not withdrawn.
Different rules, different outcome
ETO is not permitted in Indian food. FSSAI's domestic sampling did not find it, so no domestic action followed.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Common questions
Is MDH masala banned in India?
No. FSSAI found no ethylene oxide in Indian samples in May 2024; only Hong Kong and Singapore recalled specific lots.
Official sources and primary records
- No traces of ethylene oxide found in MDH, Everest spice samples: FSSAINewsBusiness Standard · 21 May 2024