New Delhi, July 14: The United States and some European countries such as France, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Germany and UK have rejected large consignments of Indian food exports. The US has rejected a consignment of basmati rice exported by Lokandwala Exports, Mumbai, describing it as “filthy”. Most of these exports were done by leading export houses and the consignments were rejected on grounds of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and improper labelling. The domestic food industry has called upon the Export Inspection Council of India (EIC) to work out the acceptance of quality standards in importing countries and educate exporters on the same.

France has rejected hot chilli powder and pepper saying that they contained colours not allowed in the country. Netherlands has rejected Thompson seedless grapes, sun-ripened seedless grapes, white seedles grapes and table grapes as they contain residues of pesticides like methomyl and monocrotophes. Italy has rejected frozen shelled prawns on account of improper labelling. It rejected whole washed cuttlefish as it contained heavy metal residues like cadmium and frozen squid tentacles as it contained bacteria called salmonella.
Belgium and Germany have rejected Indian egg powder as it contained antibiotic residues like nitrofuran and furazolidone. Belgium and Germany have also rejected table grapes consignments alleging that they contain pesticide residues like acephate and methomyl. UK has rejected Thompson seedless grapes consignment from India on grounds of pesticide residues like acephate and methomyl. It has also rejected soft drinks consignments alleging that the colours used are not permitted in that country.
The US has rejected a large consignment of Haldiram Exports Pvt Ltd, Delhi, containing red lentil mix, namkeen ghatia, namkeen Bhavnagari plain, mathri (gram rounds), bhelpuri puffed rice delicacy, cashew mix, potato sticks, sweet and sour gram mix, sweet waffers, samosa (gram stuffed triangles), jamphal, rasgulla, kesar ganderi, raj bhog, pineapple crush summer sip and frozen raw hilsa shrimp as they did not contain proper nutritional labelling and some of them contained unsafe colours. Haldiram’s frozen raw hilsa shrimp was rejected as it was “filthy” and contained bacteria, Salmonella.

A large consignment of Kairali Deccan Merchandisers, Kerala, containing ayurvedic medicines like dahasamani, trivritsneham, dasamoolarishtam, saraswatharishtam, lohasavan, murivenna, dhurdhurpatradi keram, madhusoohirasayanam, abhayarishtam, asokarishtam, jeerakaristam and sukumara leham was rejected by US as “not being listed for approved exports and lacks labelling”. Vision Enterprises consignments of lime chilly pickle in oil, chilly pickle, mango lime pickle in oil, mango chilly pickle, vadu mango pickle in oil and avaka mango pickle in oil were rejected due to unsafe colours and for the reason of the manufacturer not being registered as processor of caned foods.