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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has flagged safety concerns in dried oregano product imported by Keya Foods International Pvt Ltd after receiving an international alert regarding Salmonella contamination and has ordered a complete recall of the product from the market. However, it is not clear which of the imported batches have been ordered for recall.
The food safety authority said in a notice that it has received an alert from the International Food Safety Authority Networks (INFOSAN) regarding detection of Salmonella in Sweden in dried oregano imported from Chile.
The food safety authority stated that the “implicated product” was also imported and distributed in India by Keya Foods International Pvt Ltd.
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“With a possibility of this product reaching consumers through online sales or by other means and considering the health risk which may be posed by consumption of the said product due to contamination of Salmonella sp, all state food authorities are advised to take necessary action, including complete recall of the product from market,” the notice added.
It has also advised customers not to consume the product and to return back the product to the store or shop from where the product was purchased.
Alert by Amazon
Some e-commerce platforms have also begun alerting consumers, who may have purchased Keya’s oregano products through their platform, regarding this safety alert.
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An e-mail sent to a customer by Amazon, as seen by BusinessLine , stated: “We have recently learnt of a potential health issue notified by FSSAI about contamination of oregano products with Salmonella sp. This issue is reportedly isolated to Brand “KEYA” according to INFOSAN.”
Consumers have been advised to get in touch with the brand for further assistance, consultation and support.
According to the FSSAI notice dated July 1, the alert is based on a test report by Sweden-based lab Eurofins Food & Food Testing.
In an e-mail response to BusinessLine queries, the company said: “Keya has not received any product directly from Chile after November 2020 or from Sweden. We are in dialogue with FSSAI authorities to clarify the Infosan alert applicability to Keya and to review the recall recommendation for Keya Oregano at the earliest.”
The company further clarified that the Kerala High Court in an interim order dated July 8, granted a stay on the recall of the dried oregano distributed by the company.
(The report was updated with additional facts on July 13, 2021)
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