After receiving reports from listeners complaining of problems with foods they had purchased at South Asian grocery stores around Australia, SBS Punjabi Radio team were prompted to investigate further. They sent 18 products purchased at Indian Specialty stores across greater Melbourne to the National Measurement Institute, a food testing lab accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities.
The tests revealed two instances of products which failed Australian food safety standards:
- Kohinoor brand basmati rice found to contain Buprofezin - an insecticide banned in Australia.
- Popular Indian spice brand MDH found to contain pesticides above the accepted Australian limit.
Apart from the two foods that failed to meet FSANZ standards, the National Measurement Institute also tested many samples of popular foods.
Results from three other products concerned Food Safety experts due to levels of lead, copper and insecticide residues.
The three concerning products are:
- Complan - a powdered milk drink for growing children manufactured by Heinz in India.
- Indus basmati - a rice from Pakistan.
- Verka Ghee - a clarified butter widely used by South Asians in their daily cooking
After receiving reports from listeners complaining of problems with foods they had purchased at South Asian grocery stores around Australia, SBS Punjabi Radio team were prompted to investigate further. They sent 18 products purchased at Indian Specialty stores across greater Melbourne to the National Measurement Institute, a food testing lab accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities.
The tests revealed two instances of products which failed Australian food safety standards:
– Kohinoor brand basmati rice found to contain Buprofezin – an insecticide banned in Australia.
– Popular Indian spice brand MDH found to contain pesticides above the accepted Australian limit.
Apart from the two foods that failed to meet FSANZ standards, the National Measurement Institute also tested many samples of popular foods.
Results from three other products concerned Food Safety experts due to levels of lead, copper and insecticide residues.