While recent reports have highlighted the dangerous prevalence of the adulteration of turmeric with toxic substances such as lead chromate, Sri Lankan authorities have assured that domestic production bears no such perils. 

Addressing the elevated levels of lead poisoning in South Asia, The Economist in particular has noted that this condition can be caused by the consumption of turmeric due to adulteration of the spice. 

As per The Economist report based on research from a team of researchers from Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, California, rhizomes from which the spice is extracted are routinely dusted with lead chromate, a neurotoxin, which also leads to South Asia having the highest rates of lead poisoning in the world. 

The heart and brain diseases it causes accounted for at least 1.4 million deaths in the region in 2019, it notes, calling adulterated turmeric a “major culprit” of lead poisoning almost everywhere, chiefly owing to poor practice in India, which produces 75% of the spice. 

Lead chromate, a chemical compound comprising lead and chromium, is a yellow pigment used to enhance brightness which also acts as a neurotoxin when humans ingest or inhale it.

According to a 2021 article in Food Control, media reports of turmeric adulteration with lead chromate often state that the adulteration occurred in the turmeric-producing countries. 

However, it points out that the presence of lead chromate in turmeric is not solely a public health concern for South Asia but also a concern for the Western world since the majority of turmeric is imported from Asia, with India currently being the number one exporter of turmeric. 

Local turmeric market post import bans 

While the adulteration of spices is not unusual, the addition of toxic agents to turmeric threatens public health. However, while Sri Lanka’s primary turmeric import source used to be India (in 2017, 97% [$ 7 million] of Sri Lanka’s turmeric imports came from India), the Government’s 2019 and 2020 import bans resulted in the suspension of turmeric imports. 

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Ministry of Plantation Industries Department of Export Agriculture Director (Regulations) Prasad Idamekorala pointed out that given that the import ban was still in place, no adulterated turmeric was officially brought into the country. 

“The Government is yet to give official permission to import turmeric. Although some do claim that there is Indian turmeric in the market, there is insufficient evidence of this. We have also conducted searches in Pettah, but it is not really possible to identify which is Indian turmeric. Even if Indian turmeric is smuggled in, they cannot import by the metric tonnes. Therefore, while we haven’t analysed this, neither has a need risen for analysis, since the ban is still in effect.”

He noted that over half of Sri Lanka’s turmeric production came from Ampara at present, followed by the Kandy, Matale, Kurunegala, Gampaha, and Kegalle Districts. Around 2021, Sri Lanka had become self-sufficient in turmeric, even producing a surplus. However, when prices dropped with increased production, people tended to stop growing turmeric the following year, he noted, nevertheless emphasising that there was no shortage of the spice in the market despite being confined to domestic production. 

“Before the ban, only 20% of Sri Lanka’s turmeric requirement was produced domestically, with 80% being imported from India. Following the ban, Sri Lanka saw an overproduction of turmeric. When the price of turmeric increased, people even turned to growing turmeric in home gardens.”

He explained that while the country’s annual requirement of raw ginger was about 55,000-60,000 MT, there had been a production of around 65,000 MT in 2021, which led to overproduction. He also noted that the annual dry ginger requirement was around 8,000-9,000 MT. 

Meanwhile, Ministry of Plantation Industries Department of Export Agriculture Director (Development II) Upul Ranaweera told The Sunday Morning that the quantity of imported turmeric had seen a significant decline since the import ban, with 5,288 MT being imported in 2019, 814 MT in 2020, 800 kg in 2021, and no imports in subsequent years. 

Higher quality 

The turmeric produced in Sri Lanka is higher in quality, experts note, since curcumin – the active ingredient in turmeric – is found in higher quantities. 

Idamekorala pointed out that domestically-produced turmeric contained over 4% of curcumin in general. 

Moreover, he stressed that it was unlikely that Sri Lankan turmeric would face adulteration with lead chromate. “People are drawn to the yellow colour of turmeric and the Sri Lankan variety of turmeric is more yellow than others. It is almost orange in colour since it has a high component of curcumin. It is only when the quantity of curcumin is low that the turmeric appears to be a lighter yellow. This is when people adulterate turmeric, but our turmeric does not need this, since the colour is more than enough.”

According to Ranaweera, the lowest value of curcumin found in Sri Lankan turmeric is 3.5%. In areas such as Amapara, values of even 8.5% of curcumin have been detected. 

“However, the issue is that Sri Lankan turmeric is smaller in volume compared to Indian turmeric,” he observed, explaining that a dried finger of turmeric was generally smaller in size. “Additionally, given the increased presence of curcumin, Sri Lankan turmeric is more orange than bright yellow. Nevertheless, it is of higher quality than Indian turmeric, since the latter contains various chemical residues.”

Further, unlike foreign manufacturers who adulterated the spice to heighten the natural colour, Sri Lankan turmeric required no enhancement and therefore no such chemicals were used, he noted. “To get the bright yellow of Indian turmeric, they have added a yellow dye for it to shine, reportedly even using lead. However, since Sri Lankan turmeric does not use this method, this shine is absent. Nevertheless, there is no issue with the colour of our turmeric when it is added to curries.”

However, Ranaweera revealed that some turmeric from India still managed to arrive in places like Pettah and were sent out to be crushed and mixed with local turmeric, subsequently being either re-exported or made available in the local market. Accordingly, he said: “There is a chance the lead problem can exist, but we haven’t proved it through research.”

Potential presence 

Meanwhile, University of Sri Jayewardenepura Department of Food Science and Technology Senior Lecturer Dr. Suraji Senanayake pointed out that manufacturers used several methods to adulterate turmeric. “Normally, in order to make it bulky, manufacturers can add starch. Since this causes the colour to reduce, often, they add metanil yellow to give a brighter yellow colour. This is carcinogenic and can have neurotoxic and hepatotoxic effects.”

University of Peradeniya Faculty of Agriculture Department of Food Science and Technology Head Prof. Niranjan Rajapakse too expressed similar views. “Typically, there is no need to adulterate Sri Lankan turmeric to enhance colour since its natural colour is strong,” he said, emphasising that Sri Lankan turmeric was of high quality. 

However, he noted that in countries like India, some manufacturers extracted curcumin and subsequently dried and powdered the turmeric, thereafter exporting the powder which had been derived in this manner. Since such techniques required higher technology, these practices did not typically occur in Sri Lanka, he noted, adding that should any adulteration be done, it would involve adding flour.

According to Health Ministry Food Control Administration Unit Deputy Director General (Environmental Health, Occupational Health, and Food Safety) Dr. Ananda Jayalal, no incidents of adulterated turmeric have been reported during routine sampling. 

However, he noted that harmless substances such as wheat flour had been detected in turmeric on occasion.