Health authorities find pesticides in Indian cumin

SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- Excessive levels of pesticides have been found in imported Indian cumin seed, causing local health authorities to order a recall Wednesday.

The Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) said it found profenofos in cumin
seed, which is used to make curry powder.
Profenofos is a relatively mild pesticide used to kill mites in farm products
like potatoes, peppers and cabbages.
"We received overseas information that higher-than-permitted levels of pesticide
were detected in Indian cumin seeds and started our own investigations," a KFDA
official said. He said of the five companies that imported the spice, four were
found to have imported products that failed to meet safety guidelines.
"Of the 15,822kg of seeds checked, we found pesticide levels that were eight to
20 times higher than the maximum 0.05 parts per million permitted in the
country," the expert said.
Authorities, however, said they did not find any traces of profenofos in the 27
types of locally made processed foods that use the ingredient, mainly because
such products use only a very small amount.
The health agency also ordered more rigorous inspections on all imported products
that contain Indian cumin seeds as a precautionary measure.
The agency under the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said
consumers can check the list of products that used contaminated cumin seeds on
its Web site at www.kfda.go.kr.