Fact-check
Are MDH and Everest masalas banned in India?
Last checked 19 September 2026. A few details are still being checked against the original document.
MDH and Everest spices are not banned or recalled in India; Hong Kong and Singapore recalled specific products in April 2024 over ethylene oxide, and FSSAI's 28 laboratory reports on Indian samples found none (21 May 2024).
- Classification
- Cleared after review or testing
- Decided by
- FSSAI; Spices Board of India
- Reference
- FSSAI statement, 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
Everest spices logo (PD-textlogo). Photo: Logo of Everest spices.png by NEEVAM Food Products Pvt Ltd (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 Always check the linked government document for the current position, and tell us if something is out of date.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
- India
- Cleared; no recall, no ban
- Hong Kong
- MDH Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala, Curry Powder Mixed; Everest Fish Curry Masala, recalled April 2024
- Singapore
- Everest Fish Curry Masala, recalled April 2024
- Contaminant
- Ethylene oxide, not permitted in food in India
- Indian testing
- 28 accredited-lab reports, no ETO detected
Where the claim comes from
The April 2024 recalls by Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety and the Singapore Food Agency made international headlines and were widely reported in India as a ban on the two brands. FSSAI's clearance a month later received less attention, so the original framing persisted.
In April 2024 Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety withdrew three MDH products. Madras Curry Powder, Sambhar Masala and Curry Powder Mixed, and Everest Fish Curry Masala after detecting ethylene oxide, a sterilising gas classed as a carcinogen by several regulators and not permitted in food in India. The Singapore Food Agency recalled Everest Fish Curry Masala on the strength of the Hong Kong alert.
India responded with testing rather than a recall. FSSAI sampled MDH and Everest products from the domestic market and sent them to accredited laboratories; on 21 May 2024 it announced that 28 reports had found no ethylene oxide. The Spices Board separately made ETO testing mandatory for consignments to Singapore and Hong Kong.
The precise description is therefore: cleared in India, recalled in Hong Kong and Singapore for specific export lots. Neither brand was banned anywhere. Neither was recalled in India. The episode did feed into subsequent scrutiny of Indian spice exports by other importing countries, but that is a trade matter, not a domestic prohibition.
What this means for you
Wording matters
The correct statement is 'cleared in India; recalled in Hong Kong and Singapore'. Saying the brands were 'banned' or 'recalled in India' is wrong.
This is a record of official orders, not medical advice. Do not stop a prescribed medicine without asking your doctor or pharmacist.
Official sources and primary records
- No traces of ethylene oxide found in MDH, Everest spice samples: FSSAINewsBusiness Standard · 21 May 2024