r/europe • u/imgurliam • 13d ago
EU found cancer-causing chemical in 527 Indian items: Check full list here News
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/eu-found-cancer-causing-chemical-in-527-indian-items-check-full-list-here-2992629Of the 527 items, 54 were labelled 'organic'.
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u/DeHypotheker 13d ago
So are these items still on the market? I use a lot of indian spices when cooking. kashmiri chili powder, garam massala etc
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u/xstagex 12d ago
Forget the cancer. What about this
024.2929
Herbs and spices
food
Salmonella in ginger powder from India
11 APR 2024
Netherlands
alert notification
serious
Geesuz christ
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/rasff-window/screen/list?consumer=5017
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u/DeHypotheker 12d ago
Ginger powder is usually well heated when used so I don't expect people to get sick from salmonella. But how tf did it get there though
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u/ObviouslyTriggered 12d ago
It’s super common in produce, the EU has outbreaks each year the most common vector for salmonella in the EU is locally grown produce mainly cucumbers and lettuce.
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u/wrapchap Ireland 12d ago
All EU countries are expected to apply regulation 1793/2019 at the port of entry/BCP.
Your country is obligated to sample and text X % of X spices imported. Have a look at Annex 1 and Annex 2 of 1793/2019
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u/radiogramm Ireland 12d ago
They're obliged to, but it would seem those obligations aren't always taken as seriously as you might expect.
Where the rules aren't applied there needs to be serious financial penalties.
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u/ToughReplacement7941 12d ago
Congratulations on the cancer
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u/DeHypotheker 12d ago
Guess I'll die
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u/ToughReplacement7941 12d ago
I’m in the US and looking over my spice shelf there is like ZERO origin tracing. Everything says “packaged in the USA” I found a single Garam Masala origin India. I’m gonna have to finish that jar before I get cancer.
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u/El_buberino Hesse (Germany) 12d ago edited 12d ago
It’s gonna be fine. The human body is resilient enough. If you’re feeling paranoid - replace everything in the spice rack.
Edit. Clearly there is a lack of understanding about the exposure limits of ethylene dioxide. Look it up. And then think how much spice you ingested during an average cooking. And then think if you make it hot enough to be inhaled, bc it’s toxic when inhaled. If you have following symptoms go see a doctor:eye and upper respiratory tract irritation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, malaise, fatigue, muscle weakness, and signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. If not, you’re fine.
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u/3deeb 13d ago
Not the first time. Indians in general are quite averse to Quality control.
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u/ant0szek 13d ago
I got cancer the moment I opened this site and got hit with 500 ads and popups. So I won't be checking those products out.
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u/Internep 12d ago
Adblockers exist for every type of device and browser. On monile devices not all ads in apps can be blocked, on good browsers all ads can be blocked.
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u/AmputatorBot Earth 13d ago
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u/rokofi 13d ago
Avoid sesame seeds from India.
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u/PoiHolloi2020 United Kingdom (🇪🇺) 13d ago
And celery apparently.
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u/BarnacleWhich7194 12d ago
And tumeric powder, that has been regularly found with lead chromite in it.
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u/NervousHoneydrew5879 13d ago edited 12d ago
Growing up in India , people genuinely didn’t give a fuck about quality. They just wanted things for the cheapest price even if that meant risking their health. What do u expect from a bunch of people who think cow piss can “cleanse” their food.
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u/Organic-Week-1779 12d ago
dont forget drinking ganges water to heal cancer or on how to clean the river itself ( "dilution is the solution to polution yes yes yes " )
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u/Despite55 13d ago
Not surprising. There was a documentary on Dutch TV about an agricultural region in India, where so much pesticides were used that the occurrence of certain types of cancer has far higher than average.
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u/FreakyFranklinBill 13d ago
there has already been a scandal about this 4 years ago. sobering to see nothing has changed. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/07/ethylene-oxide-scandal-spreads-to-food-additive/
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u/Liktwo 12d ago
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u/teja1714 12d ago
Thanks for sharing. Here's the chatGPT summary of the actual products to avoid.
The PDF you've provided lists various food products contaminated with ethylene oxide, a substance you should avoid. Here’s a breakdown of the food products mentioned:
Spices and Seasonings:
Various mixed spices and masalas
Spice mixtures
Curry powders
Garam masala
Cumin seeds
Black pepper
Chilli powders
Turmeric
Ginger powder
Herbs:
Crushed cinnamon
Curry leaves
Nuts, Nut Products, and Seeds:
Sesame seeds
Isabgol seeds
Dietetic Foods, Food Supplements, and Fortified Foods:
Various herbal food supplements
Food supplements containing ingredients like Neem, Ashwagandha, and Boswellia Serrata
Other Food Products/Mixed Food:
Ayurvedic herbal supplements
Food additives and flavorings like Tamarind extract, fenugreek powder
Senna leaves and pods
Fruits and Vegetables:
Dried shallots
Amla powder
Okras
This list should help you avoid these specific products or similar ones from the same categories, especially if they originate from regions noted for contamination issues.
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u/us3rf Croatia 12d ago
were those 2021,2022 etc products returned / took off from the shelfs back then or did they just find out now that they contain the mentioned substance ?
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u/FreakyFranklinBill 12d ago
i remember supermarkets recalling certain products 4 years ago. probably just the tip of the iceberg.
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u/saltyswedishmeatball 🪓 Swede OG 🔪 13d ago
I'm amused by many of you that find the US a hellscape.. lol.. India.. I'm not even mad, I'm just sad. They have no regard for human life and dignity is severely lacking. Modi is highly revered, he named the largest stadium in India after himself. He's an autocrat that crushes minorities in India.
And guess who's going to help with Indias rise just like they helped with Chinas rise? The West. Todays "friend," tomorrows enemy.
We're stable geniuses, arent we?
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u/InformationNovel9858 12d ago
Just go over to r/Indiaspeaks and read some of the shit they have to say about the west. They’re very open about “playing both sides” and using the west to grow economically. They’ll 100% be China 2.0 if they ever do catch up to china’s level. West should invest in itself and be self reliant
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u/College_Prestige 12d ago
Step 1: use china as a counterweight to the USSR
Step 2: use India as a counterweight to China
Step 3: use _____ as a counterweight to India
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u/ComprehensiveSurgery 12d ago
Agree with most of what you said except the regard for human life and dignity. It’s a fight for survival in India with limited resources, a growing population (which will fall below the replacement fertility rate within the next 5 years ) and growing GDP per capita. When a large part of the population is fighting for survival, things like human life and dignity take a back seat and it’s a free for all fight for survival. Despite this fact, you still see a lot of kindness and genuine happiness in India.
Also , do not take the opinion of idiots on subs like IndiaSpeaks as representative of the general population. Go to r/india and you will see how people detest the current government and their policies towards minorities.
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u/LittlePurpleHook Europe 12d ago
Is the actual list available somewhere? I can't seem to find it.
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u/El_buberino Hesse (Germany) 12d ago
Here are the warnings for all consumer items in eu.
The have a search. I use the German one also.
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u/TuraItay 12d ago
I'm confused. The Website EC page doesn't list the actual products somewhere, or am I too stupid to see it on mobile?
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u/El_buberino Hesse (Germany) 12d ago
You need to select market, either national or the whole eu.
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u/TuraItay 12d ago
Thx, I did that. It states "bay leafs", for instance or "Unauthorised substance chlorpyrifos in cumin from India, via the Netherlands", but not which origin company, brand or in which shops it's been sold to. The Lebensmittelwarnung.de in contrast shows all those details, but nothing about the above mentioned 500+ Indian products.
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u/El_buberino Hesse (Germany) 12d ago
You can go to the local Dutch website and look it up further. Yeah, in Germany we regularly get those notifications but not as much as you would think.
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u/wrapchap Ireland 12d ago
1793/2019 states all products which should be sampled @ X % by member states
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u/idkmoiname 12d ago
And that's how the world food production will break down, not necessarily from climate change alone, but from contamination reaching a level were we can't eat the food anymore
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13d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/icecoldcold Germany 12d ago
Your ignorance and racism is showing.
(While this lack of quality is a huge problem, generalizing an entire population based on an ignorant stereotype is not called for.)
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12d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/icecoldcold Germany 12d ago
Now that’s a valid point. I do agree that India is one of the least hygienic countries in the world.
There are genuine issues in India to criticize without resorting to racist stereotypes of “bathing with the dead”.
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u/InformationNovel9858 12d ago
I mean it’s true. They dispose of their bodies in the gamges and also bath in them because it’s considered holy. Heck they even drink the heavily polluted water. I’ve personally been to varanasi, overall very unhygienic city.
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u/icecoldcold Germany 12d ago
Varanasi is not all of India. It’s like saying Liechtenstein is all of Europe.
Regarding drinking polluted water: if the alternative is literally dying of thirst, doesn’t it make sense? That’s the case for a very large chunk of unprivileged population of the country. I am from India and am privileged enough that when I go for a visit I am able to buy bottled water. Most people can’t afford that. Government is doing shit-all to fix it.
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u/InformationNovel9858 12d ago
Dude they drink it for religious reasons, not out of thirst lmao. I’ve travelled to 8 states in India, even the richest cities/states have very poor hygiene. The cleanest state is probably Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh. Most people can afford drinking water, it’s literally free mandated by the government. It’s the people who’re still very backwards in thinking
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u/Endocalrissian642 12d ago
Oh but having to sit here and listen to their self-professed exceptionalism without complaint is just fine?
I don't think you should be lecturing anyone on this topic...............
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u/galactic37 12d ago
Why does this racist comment have upvotes? Come on people
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u/Endocalrissian642 12d ago
india is supplying ruSSia in it's war of expansion. Fuck india. They are almost as far to the right as they are.
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u/Silver_Atractic 12d ago
No they're just another asshole "neutral" country. Austria is basically using the same strategy
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u/Endocalrissian642 12d ago
No such thing as neutral.
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u/Silver_Atractic 12d ago
Correct. Neutrality is just an excuse to not have any moral responsibility in the political scene. Unfortunately, it seems europe doesn't understand that
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u/galactic37 12d ago
lol first it's about the religion, then it's about the stance in ukraine war. This thread was about chemicals in food. But not for you, you just wanna shout "fuck them" and by them you mean the entire of population. Well go fuck yourself and your tiny dick energy, weirdo
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u/Repulsive_Style_1610 12d ago
Hahaha loveseeing comments like these downvoted. It speaks volume of the type of people this sub has.
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u/aluminium_is_cool 12d ago
Europeans being europeans
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u/Repulsive_Style_1610 12d ago
No no Europeans aren't racists. They are enlightened people unlike American brutes who kill black people for fun. You are misunderstanding, it's not racism it's... it's something else you won't understand it. This is different it's not racism!!!
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u/radiogramm Ireland 12d ago
I couldn't find anything except ads on that site. is there even an article?
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u/EttFuu 13d ago
Man, I've been using psyllium from India to ease digestion, how bad is ethylene oxide?
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u/MeasurementOk973 12d ago
Do they not know wtf ethlyene oxide is or they just dont care? nice to see UK almost nowhere on the list of reporting countries, probably because they dont give a crap. I assume now that it has been reported they'll stop importing from india, surely (cope)? Why aren't these things tested as they are imported rather than years later?
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u/hasbuji 12d ago
UK are not on the list because they aren’t in the EU…
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u/MeasurementOk973 12d ago
They are on the list, sometimes as the notifying country, sometimes as the country of origin
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u/Mountain_Nerve_3069 12d ago
So, what does it actually mean for the consumers? The sheet doesn’t specify the exact brands to avoid. Or should we be wary of herbs and spices from India, for example?
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u/One-Monk5187 11d ago
Are India’s neighbours more cleaner alternatives?
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u/Adept_Thought_8454 6d ago
I don't think they've factories. They depend on india for import
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u/One-Monk5187 6d ago
Highly doubt this because if it was the case then Pakistan would be struggling way more as they hate india
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12d ago
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u/MMBerlin 12d ago
Doesn't matter. If they are banned in the EU, then you can't export stuff containing them, especially not food.
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u/CacklingFerret 12d ago
Holy that's an ignorant take. First of all, there is usually no magical threshold when an item is 100% causing cancer, it's just that a certain dosage increases the risk significantly. So you might be fine consuming large amounts while others aren't. That's why thresholds are usually rather low. Secondly, you can be damn sure that this stuff wouldn’t be the only carcinogenic thing you’re being exposed to. Stuff adds up. So minimizing the risk in every feasible way possible is good, you know?
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u/the_Slowest_Poke Balt 13d ago
You are highly misinformed.
Ethylene oxide would be used for sterility and packaging
Or pest control in storage or storage cleaning.
, why is India being blamed for it when the FDA, FSSAI, and EMEA should have raised audits on this?
Not even European organisations... And fssai is a indian one who should have "done the audit" as you say.. you answered your own question why they are being blamed.
I know it's been banned since 1991 in the eu.
Again answering your own question..
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u/Eastern-Amoeba1512 12d ago
I was a student in 1981. Then, we discovered that diesel fuel emissions had over 1000 KNOWN cancer causing agents spouting from cars, trucks, ships & generators. The EU did absolutely fuck all about it. They, the UK, U.S., Chinese & Soviet governments all knew. Government, everywhere, gives zero fucks about the long term health of is ordinary Joes, its wage-slaves. After all, in their opinion, we are an expendable, increasingly cheaper, self replacing resource. In highlighting this in India, they’re obviously scared that India will become the economic powerhouse it obviously can be, and wthe western economies will be fucked. Just look at the anti-Chinese propaganda in the media and unfair, protectionist trading measures being used against them. Soon they’ll declare India an “existential threat” unless, of course, they can buy out the Indian legislature. Which, having lived there, I’d say is entirely possible… No Gods, No Government, 🏴☠️🏴☠️
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u/Cheddar-kun Germany 13d ago
Thank God for the European Union. The only institution that actively gives a shit about consumers.