Over seven in 10 consumers lack confidence in India’s food regulatory authorities’ capacity or willingness to ensure food safety, a nationwide survey has found in the wake of foreign alerts surrounding chemical contamination of packaged spices from India.

The survey by Local Circles, an online community platform, has found that 36 per cent of over 12,300 respondents from 293 districts said they had “no confidence at all”, and 37 per cent said they had “low confidence” in the country’s food regulatory authorities.

Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety (CFS) said on April 5 that several prepackaged mixed spice powders imported from India were found to contain a pesticide called ethylene oxide. The CFS had also asked the public not to consume and the trade to stop selling the affected products. The Singapore Food Agency also recalled one of the products exported by India to Singapore.

The alerts have prompted consumer groups to ask what actions the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and state regulators have taken to curb ethylene oxide contamination in spices since similar alerts were issued by the European Union three years ago.

India’s Spices Board, a unit of the Union commerce and industry ministry, has released guidelines for spice producers and exporters to prevent the contamination.

“But guidelines aren’t enough — there has to be a regulatory framework. And they need to be enforced by the FSSAI and state regulators,” said Ashim Sanyal, chief operating officer and secretary of the non-government Consumer Voice. Sanyal also participates in the Central Consumer Protection Authority under the Union Department of Consumer Affairs.

The FSSAI has initiated a nationwide surveillance of spices, an FSSAI officer who requested not to be named told The Telegraph earlier this week.

Consumers in India have often used social media to express concerns about food safety, said Sachin Taparia, founder and CEO of Local Circles that conducted the survey on public perceptions of food regulatory authorities. Nearly 72 per cent of some 24,000 respondents told the online survey that they are concerned about the safety of spice powders.

The survey also asked consumers: “How much confidence do you have that food regulators (FSSAI and state regulators) are doing their bit to ensure food safety for consumers?”

Only 3 per cent of 12,308 respondents said they had “high confidence.”