MDH Sambhar Masala Recalled in the US on Salmonella Contamination

Earlier this week, MDH sambar masala recalled its three lots of the product from the shelves in the US after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) detected the salmonella bacteria in the MDH brand.

According to this report, it was revealed that these products contain Salmonella bacteria. MDH, ubiquitous in Indian kitchens, is known for selling various spice mixes that are important ingredients to Indian cooking. Sambhar is a staple, eaten by many Indians almost daily. A contaminated lot of MDH's sambhar powder was distributed in retail stores in northern California.

Consuming salmonella-contaminated food can cause salmonellosis; it is one of the most common bacterial foodborne illnesses. Some common symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever within 12 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated product. No illnesses had yet been reported in connection with this problem.

R-Pure Agro Specialities manufactured the recalled lots and US-based supplier 'House of Spices' sold them. R-Pure has the same directors, who are on the board of MDH. It is still not clear whether or not the R-Pure manufactured MDH products for US markets being sold in India.

This issues had been raised by US FDA earlier also. Between2016 to 2018, the regulator had completely detained imports of its spice products in more than 20 instances.