MDH-Everest Controversy: From Nestle To Haldiram, Top Brands Who Faced Regulators' Ire

The recent ban slapped on Indian spice brands 'MDH' and 'Everest' has framed a concerning picture of India's food regulatory entity, FSSAI (Food Safety And Standards Authority Of India). 

Both spice brands were banned in Singapore and Hong Kong last week, as reports came in indicating high levels of cancer-causing elements.

What was even more concerning was the fact that rather than the domestic regulatory body FSSAI, it was the foreign nations pointing out the issue. However, this is not the first time Indian food brands have faced a ban in other countries. Here is a list of top brands that have faced scrutiny in foreign countries in the past-

In late 2022, Patanjali faced a ban on its products in Nepal. The country's drug regulatory authority had blacklisted 16 Indian pharmaceutical companies. Among these names was Divya Pharmacy, which manufactured Patanjali products endorsed by Yoga Guru Ramdev. As per the custodians of the country, Patanjali had failed to comply with the World Health Organization's (WHO) drug manufacturing standards. It is also worth noting that recently even the Supreme Court had issued a prohibition on the company's advertisements over false claims.

The US health regulator had raised concerns against Torrent Pharmaceuticals for breaking current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) rules at their facility in Gujarat. This happened back in April 2019 when the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) inspected the place.

Multiple other Indian pharmaceutical companies have faced similar kind of allegations like Cipla, Zydus and Aurobindo Pharma. 

Nestle's Maggie had once faced a heavy prohibition, which eventually led to the product being removed from the shelves of every single supermarket, not only in India but in foreign nations as well. This was owing to the high concentration of lead found in the instant snack product. However, it was able to make a comeback in the Indian market after few months. Recently, Nestle's most famous baby product 'Cerelac' had come under intense scrutiny for excessive sugar present in the product. While Nestle is not an Indian company, it is worth noting that the same product didn't contain any harmful concentration in countries like Europe and US.

In 2015, several products under the brand were taken off the shelves by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) owing to reports indicating that the food products contained poisonous and adulterated content. 

However, the company later received clean chit and was brought back to the foreign market after a few months.

Even though many of these products made it back to the shelves later on, the recent MDH and Everest fiascos has highlighted a bigger problem, not just with the FSSAI, but with Indian consumers. More often than not, consumers just glance over the labels on the back without really checking what’s in the food that they are buying. This ignorance might not be bliss always.