While this might be a sudden shock for many of us, the European Union had flagged this way in advance.As per reports, over 400 export quality products from India were flagged by the EU between 2019 and 2024 to be highly contaminated.
The report published with a PDF list of 400 Indian food products by Deccan Herald states that 14 of the products are known to damage various organs and use dangerous elements like mercury and cadmium in fish among other products.
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It says that as many as 21 products including octopus and squid had cadmium, which increases risk of chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease.
The report also states that at least 59 products contain pesticides that are deemed carcinogenic. Among chemicals found in rice, herbs and spices are tricyclazole, a fungicide banned in the EU for its carcinogenic and genotoxic properties. Apart from this, over 52 products contain more than one pesticide or fungicide, some with as many as five in them.
The PDF report shared by Deccan Herald report also states that around 20 products had 2-chloroethanol, a toxic byproduct of ethylene oxide. “Ochratoxin A, a banned mycotoxin, was found in 10 products, including chillies, coffee and rice,” it said.
The report also states that salmonella was found in organic shatavari, ashwagandha and sesame seeds among 100 other products.
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It is also mentioned in the report, that groundnut kernels and nut crackers contain aflatoxins, a poisonous carcinogen and mutagen that can cause liver damage and cancer.
Coriander seeds powder is found to have Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate insecticide, acaricide and miticide used primarily to control foliage and soil-borne insect pests.
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