Concerns raised over aflatoxin controls on Indian spices
Experts from the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) logged the shortcomings after carrying out a 10-day visit to India following a leap in the number of aflatoxin notifications for spice exports on the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) in recent years.
The report highlights several weak spots in the control systems but also stressed that many improvements had been made since the previous inspection in 2004.
Supervision failures
The supervision of control authorities of spice growers is not robust enough. There is a failure to ensure producers are implementing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) or Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
Advisory services on these practices do exist but not all farmers, particularly larger-scale ones, are covered by these and therefore they might not be fully aware of GAP procedures, said the FVO report
Instead, Indian officials have focussed on implementing aflatoxin controls prior to export. While a string of procedures are in place, the inspectors said many of the measures do not meet EU standards.
Indian spices are one of the products subject to heightened scrutiny under EC Regulation 669/2009 as a result of the higher than average RASFF notifications on the presence of aflatoxins in the foods. Currently, some 50 per cent of shipments undergo physical inspection at EU borders.
Following the introduction of the measure in 2010, the number of RASFF notifications jumped by 600 per cent to 98, compared to 12 in the previous 12 months.
While legislation has been introduced in India to regulate its 3,500 spice exporters - of which 220 ship into the EU - there are some gaps. There are no clear food hygiene rules laid down for food companies, including spice processors and it is not obligatory to implement Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).
"The level of HACCP implementation in companies processing spices for export to the EU is very low," said the report.
Spice processors or traders exporting their produce are not subject to any food hygiene control - and therefore there is no official body to ensure they comply with EU requirements, it added.
Analytical results compromised?
Legal requirements relating to aflatoxin controls cover only four of the six spices for export included under EC Regulation 669/2009. Chilli, chilli products, mace and nutmeg are covered while turmeric and ginger are not.
After examining official laboratory procedures, the inspectors found the analytical reports issued by the two accredited facilities did not follow EC requirements.
There were also "insufficient quality control measures" in both, as well as a lack of use of reference materials and incomplete validation study.
Such shortcomings "could compromise the reliability of the analytical results", and lead to Indian spice shipments turned away at EU border checks.
The inspectors further found that when RASSF notifications were relayed back to India, authorities there sometimes failed to pass on the information to spice processors and exporters.
"No clear procedures have been established for RASFF follow up," said the FVO. "Investigative are limited and do not lead to any corrective actions or sanctions."
