Twelve percent of spices imported to the U.S. are tainted with insects, rodent hairs, salmonella, and other things says the FDA. Imports from Mexico and India have the highest rate of contamination, which is significant given that almost 25 percent of spices come from India. In the past, spice manufacturers have claimed that spices consumers buy aren’t necessarily affected since they are treated by food manufacturers, but the FDA says they still end up contaminated. Oh, and here’s another thing the government shutdown ruined: FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg was supposed to go to India to address the problem, but was delayed because of the shutdown.
Read it at The New York Times
