New Delhi, August 30: India’s food safety regulator has prohibited the sale of certain compounded hing products manufactured by Everest Food Products Private Limited and Laljee Godhoo and Company after laboratory testing found them to be substandard.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said the action followed a consumer complaint that prompted wider market surveillance of major brands.
According to the regulator, tested compounded hing samples did not meet prescribed standards for alcohol-soluble extract. Some products were found to contain significantly lower levels than the required minimum.
FSSAI also reported serious quality concerns in raw hing samples collected from the Laljee Godhoo facility. Six varieties reportedly contained starch levels between 15% and 32%, while the applicable standard caps starch at 1%.
The regulator has issued prohibition-of-sale orders and directed the companies to submit corrective action plans. The manufacturers have also been advised to voluntarily recall substandard products already available in the market.
Why it matters:
The action could affect consumers and retailers across the country and highlights increased regulatory scrutiny of packaged food and spice products