Cleaning of 6,000 tonnes of tainted pepper from tomorrow

KOCHI, JANUARY 13: 

Some 6,000 tonnes of pepper, valued at ₹450 crore at current prices and locked up in warehouses in Kerala for being found tainted, could be released in the open market soon as its cleaning will begin this week. The first lot of 60 tonnes of the pepper contaminated with mineral oil will leave Kochi on January 15 and from then onwards a similar volume of pepper would be transported daily to Walayar in Kerala’s Palakkad district, FSSAI officials said.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Kerala, has outsourced for the cleaning of the entire volume of contaminated pepper to Indian Products Limited (IPL).

Speaking to BusinessLine, TV Anupama, Commissioner, FSSAI, Kerala, said Assistant Commissioners in Kochi and Palakkad will handle the operations.

She said the cleaning of the entire volume of the pepper will be done according to the directions of the Kerala High Court. Samples would be drawn from each lot and tested in various government laboratories in Kerala.

The Kerala High Court, disposing of a writ petition on August 28, 2014, ordered the FSSAI to allow the National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange to clean the pepper without prejudice to the exchanges’ rights/claims etc, against any party for the costs incurred.

“All the owners of the pepper lots have been notified of our decision,” K Ajith Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, Kochi said.

The IPL has developed its own technology to clean the pepper using a food grade detergent, he said.

Around 200 tonnes of pepper from the stock were released in recent months, following clearing of counter samples held by some members of a cartel in three instalments, after reportedly testing them at a Public Analysts Laboratory in Kolkata.

The Commissioner said the parties have done it after getting permission from the higher Appellate authorities.

Environmental concerns

Meanwhile, environmental activists in the region have come out against the cleaning of such huge volume of pepper using “heavy doses of detergent”. They alleged that it would “pollute their surroundings apart from exploiting the region’s water resources”.

When asked for her reaction, the Commissioner said the FSSAI is carrying out the High Court’s order. “We have not received anything in writing about such issues,” she added.