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M.R. Subramani

Chennai, Sept. 26 Buyers of Indian guar gum in the European Union (EU) have begun to accept consignments that are certified by accredited laboratories. This comes at a time when a team from the European Commission is scheduled to visit the country during October 5-7 in connection with the problem arising out of Indian guar gum consignments found having higher dioxin levels.

According to Mr Jeewan Gandhi, President of Indian Guar Gum Manufacturers Association, currently there is no problem of higher dioxin levels in guar gum consignments being sent from the country to the EU.

“Our consignments are tested by Vimta Labs in Hyderabad and based on its certification, consignments are being accepted,” he said.

Stating that almost all the consignments that had been held up due to higher dioxin levels in one of the consignments sent last month had been cleared, he said: “Only four or five containers of shipments sent from here are under dispute”.

Last month, guar gum exports to Europe came to a standstill after a shipment was found having excess level of dioxin. Though only one part of some five consignments sent to Europe was found with higher dioxin levels, the EU authorities totally stopped imports of guar gum from India.

Guar gum is derived from guar seed (cluster beans), a legume crop that grows well in semi-arid regions of the Indian subcontinent. India is the leading exporter of guar gum making up nearly 80-85 per cent of the global production.

The controversial consignment was sent to the Switzerland-based food processing firm Unipektin by the Delhi-based India Glycols.

Guar gum is used as a thickening agent and additives in foods products such as instant soups, sauces, processed meat products, baked goods, milk and cheese products, yoghurt and ice-creams. Besides Unipektin, companies such as Coco-Cola, Danone, Nestle and Unilever have been affected by this controversy as they have been forced to recall some of their products such as Fanta, Maggie etc.

Guar gum is also used in industrial applications such as paper and textile sectors, ore flotation, explosives manufacture and fracturing of oil and gas formations.

Curiously, the source of contamination of the controversial consignment is yet to be traced. “The cause of the contamination of guar gum at India Glycols Ltd has not yet been discovered. Further findings are hoped from a planned investigation by a delegation of the European Commission,” Unipektin said in an update on its Web Site.

According to Mr Gandhi, the EU team will visit Jodhpur, the hub of guar gum trade; Hyderabad, where Vimta Labs is located; and the unit where India Glycols produces guar gum.

“Our problems pertain only to the EU, particularly Germany and Switzerland. Other buyers such as the US and China have no problem,” Mr Gandhi said.

Meanwhile, Unipektin said a shipment from another supplier had been found with higher content of PCP or pentachlorophenol.

“Allegations of higher PCP levels are being made with malafide intentions. The EU is very strict with PCP procedutres and some test results do vary,” Mr Gandhi said.

Industry players said the controversy over guar gum exports would blow over soon.

The issue with dioxin is that it can cause a series of health problems such as cancer and nervous system disorders.

It can be present in soil, air and water and is generated due to incineration, combustion and geological processes. Once, dioxin gets into the human system, it will be hard to excrete it. PCP, on the other hand, can cause liver problems and damage human immune system.

More Stories on : Standards & Benchmarks | Exports & Imports | Foods & Food Processing

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