The condiments and spices you buy from the local grocery or supermarket may turn out to be harmful to your family’s health. The latest analysis of the Pesticide Residue Research and Analysis Laboratory under Kerala Agricultural University reveals that coriander, dried ginger powder, dried red chilli, cardamom, cumin powder, pickle powder, garam masala, curd chilli, chilli powder, fennel seeds, Kashmiri chilli powder, rasam powder, and curry powder available in the market are laced with toxic chemicals. Of the 285 samples of spices, masala powders and processed food collected from supermarkets in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Kollam, Kasaragod, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta, 38 samples of 14 items had contaminants exceeding the limits prescribed by the European Union. While nine samples of five items were found to have contaminants below the prescribed EU standards, 48 samples of 13 items were safe to eat quality. The samples were collected from October 1 to December 31. While residues of endosulfan were found in samples of coriander, samples of jeera were found to be contaminated with dangerous pesticides such as chlorpyrifos, ethion, malathion, methyl parathion, and profenofos. Dried chilly had residues of chlorpyrifos, sypermethrin, lambda syhalothrin, and cunalfos. The fact that masala powders, spices and red chilli go into most of our dishes and are consumed daily, exposes the magnitude of the threat to public health, says Thomas Biju Mathew, professor in charge of the analysis. Of the 34 items of vegetables that were tested, only curry leaves, green chilli, capsicum, and red amaranthus were found to exceed the EU limits of safety, while only one grape sample tested positive from among 12 fruit items. All the samples of dried fruits were found to be safe to eat quality. The test results are available on the website kerala.gov.in in the link Reports and Manuals.