The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued Prohibition of Sale orders against compounded hing (asafoetida) manufactured by M/s Everest Food Products Private Limited and M/s Laljee Godhoo and Company (LG Brand Unit) after laboratory tests found their products to be substandard, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.
The action followed a consumer complaint concerning the quality of compounded hing of a particular brand. The FSSAI subsequently carried out market surveillance covering major brands of the product.
Legal samples were collected from the centrally licensed facilities of Everest and the LG Brand Unit in Mumbai and sent to a primary laboratory for testing. The FSSAI also worked with the Gujarat State FDA to conduct a joint inspection and sampling at Everest's state-licensed facility in Umbergaon, Gujarat.
The primary laboratory found that all legal samples of compounded hing collected during the operations were substandard, the FSSAI said.
What did the tests find?
Compounded hing is an approved food category under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. It is made by blending raw hing with ingredients such as gum Arabic, starches and flours.
Under the regulations, compounded hing must contain enough raw hing to ensure at least 5% alcohol soluble extract in the final product.
However, the tested samples contained only 0-3% alcohol soluble extract, significantly below the prescribed minimum, according to the FSSAI.
The regulator said the findings indicated that manufacturers were adding 30-40% less raw hing than required in the products tested.
The FSSAI also tested six varieties of raw hing at the LG Brand Unit in Mumbai. While the permitted maximum starch content in raw hing is 1%, laboratory tests found starch levels ranging from 15% to 32% in all six varieties.
Raw hing is also required to contain a minimum of 12% alcohol soluble extract under the applicable standards.
FSSAI orders action
Following the findings across multiple batches, the FSSAI issued Prohibition of Sale orders against Everest's Mumbai unit and the LG Brand Unit in Mumbai.
The regulator described the action as a preventive measure aimed at protecting consumers and public health.
The two food business operators have also been directed to submit a comprehensive action plan explaining how they will address the identified violations and ensure that compounded hing produced by them meets the prescribed standards.
The FSSAI has further advised the manufacturers to initiate a voluntary recall of substandard products that are currently available in the market.
