FSSAI Orders Recall of One Everest Cumin Powder Batch

Correction, 5 October 2026: An earlier version of this article overstated the scope of the recall and the separate bakery licence suspension. We have removed unverified claims about a nationwide recall, the source of the pesticide residues, the status of other Everest products, and the steps either company will take. The confirmed recall concerns one identified batch.

India’s food regulator said on 4 October 2026 that it directed Everest Food Products to recall batch E080668761 of pre-packed cumin powder. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said a sample taken in Goa contained azoxystrobin and thiamethoxam residues above prescribed limits. A referral laboratory confirmed the sample was “unsafe”. The order identifies a specific batch; it does not establish that every Everest spice product is affected.

What the FSSAI said about the cumin powder

According to the FSSAI’s 4 October notice, inspectors drew a regulatory sample of pre-packed cumin powder at the premises of Riverside Resorts & Holiday Homes Pvt. Ltd. in Goa. The Food Analyst found residues of azoxystrobin and thiamethoxam above the applicable maximum residue limits and classified the sample as unsafe under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The food business operator was given an opportunity to appeal the first result. The sample then went to a Referral Food Laboratory, which confirmed the unsafe finding, FSSAI said. The regulator directed Everest Food Products Pvt. Ltd. to recall the implicated batch immediately, maintain complete records of recalled stock, submit recall status information and report corrective measures. The public notice does not provide measured residue concentrations or a count of packets sold.

The batch number reported in the regulator’s notice and by NDTV Profit is E080668761. Readers with pre-packed Everest cumin powder can check the batch number on the package. This report should not be read as a claim that other batches or other Everest products failed testing. The published notice does not provide a complete map of where the affected batch was distributed.

A separate licence suspension

In the same public update, FSSAI announced a separate enforcement action against Creative Bakers and Confectioners Pvt. Ltd. It said it had suspended that company’s FSSAI licence with immediate effect over serious hygiene and sanitation deficiencies. Hindustan Times identifies Creative Bakers as the operator of The Sugarr & Spice chain. The two enforcement actions concern different companies and different alleged compliance failures.

FSSAI described dirt, grease, dust, cobwebs and flies in food-production and handling areas, along with inadequately protected raw materials, rusted containers and pest-control shortcomings at the inspected premises. It also identified gaps in records and food-safety systems. The public account does not establish that every outlet of The Sugarr & Spice was inspected or that all retail locations were ordered shut. The licensing consequence should be understood as applying to the food business operator and premises covered by FSSAI’s action, pending any further official clarification.

What remains unconfirmed

• FSSAI has not published the exact measured residue levels in the public notice cited here, so this article does not quantify the exceedance.
• The notice does not show how many packets from batch E080668761 reached consumers, where they were sold, or how much stock had been recovered by publication time.
• No consumer illness has been established by the cited notice. A finding that a sample is legally “unsafe” is not evidence of a specific illness case.
• The public notice does not identify how the residues entered the cumin supply chain. Farm practices, storage and processing are possible issues for investigation, but none is established as the cause in this case.
• The regulator’s separate bakery action does not by itself establish the condition of every Sugarr & Spice outlet.

We will update this article if FSSAI publishes a recall progress report, the laboratory’s measured results or a response from the companies. The official food recall portal is the appropriate place to check future regulatory status.

Sources and scope

Primary source: FSSAI’s dated public notice, 4 October 2026. Reporting reviewed: NDTV Profit, Hindustan Times, and PTI via The Economic Times. These reports chiefly relay the regulator’s notice; they are not independent laboratory verification.