People are worried about the safety of Indian spices. Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US are checking spices from Indian companies MDH and Everest for a harmful pesticide. The European Union also found this bad substance in Indian spices. This problem could hurt India’s spice business a lot.

MDH and Everest are very popular spice brands in India. MDH has been around for 105 years and sells many different spices. Everest says it is the biggest spice maker in India. The Indian government is now testing these spices to make sure they are safe.

Experts say India needs to do a better job with food safety. They need to be clear and strict about the rules to keep their spices safe. If they don’t fix this, people might stop buying Indian spices. It’s important for India to solve this problem to stay a top spice seller in the world.

Original news source: Indian spices face heat over global safety concerns (BBC)

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the students into small groups. Give each group a set of spice names written on small pieces of paper. One student from each group will act out the spice name without speaking, while the other students guess the name of the spice. The group that guesses the most spice names correctly within a time limit wins.

– News Summary
Instructions: Have the students read the article individually or in pairs. Then, instruct them to write a summary of the article in their own words. Encourage them to include the main points and key details. Afterward, have a class discussion where students share their summaries and compare them.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Prepare a list of vocabulary words related to the article, such as “spices,” “pesticide,” “food safety,” etc. Divide the students into pairs. Each pair will take turns choosing a vocabulary word and drawing a picture to represent it. The other student must guess the word based on the picture. The pair that correctly guesses the most words wins.

– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the students into pairs or small groups. Instruct them to discuss the pros and cons of the situation described in the article. For example, one student may argue that stricter food safety rules are necessary to protect consumers, while another student may argue that it could negatively impact the spice industry in India. Encourage students to use vocabulary and phrases from the article to support their arguments.

– Future Predictions
Instructions: Have the students work in pairs or small groups. Ask them to discuss and make predictions about what might happen in the future regarding the safety of Indian spices. They can base their predictions on the information in the article or their own ideas. Each group should present their predictions to the rest of the class and explain their reasoning.

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What are people worried about regarding Indian spices?
2. Which countries are checking spices from Indian companies MDH and Everest?
3. What harmful substance did the European Union find in Indian spices?
4. How long has MDH been around?
5. What does Everest claim to be?
6. What is the Indian government doing to ensure the safety of these spices?
7. Why is it important for India to solve this problem?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

People are (1)______ about the safety of Indian (2)______. (3)______, Hong Kong, and the US are checking spices from Indian companies MDH and Everest for a harmful pesticide. The European Union also found this bad substance in (4)______n spices. This problem could hurt India’s spice business a lot.

MDH and (5)______ are very popular spice brands in India. MDH has been around for 105 years and sells (6)______ different spices. Everest says it is the biggest spice maker in India. The Indian government is now (7)______ these spices to make sure they are (8)______.

Experts say India (9)______ to do a better job with food safety. They need to be clear and (10)______ about the rules to keep their spices safe. If they don’t fix this, people might stop (11)______ Indian spices. It’s important for India to (12)______ this problem to stay a top spice seller in the world.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What are some popular spice brands in India?
2. How long has MDH been around?
3. What does Everest claim to be?
4. Why are people worried about the safety of Indian spices?
5. How do you think the Indian government can ensure the safety of spices?
6. Do you like using spices in your food? Why or why not?
7. How would you feel if you found out that the spices you were using were not safe?
8. What do you think will happen if people stop buying Indian spices?
9. Have you ever had a bad experience with food safety? Can you share?
10. What do you think India can do to become a top spice seller again?
11. Do you think it’s important for countries to have clear and strict food safety rules? Why or why not?
12. How would you feel if you were a spice seller in India right now?

Individual Activities

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. pesticide
2. harmful
3. substance
4. business
5. popular
6. government
7. experts
8. safety
9. strict
10. rules
11. solve
12. seller

Meanings:
(A) A chemical used to kill insects that can damage plants
(B) Very firm and not easy to change
(C) The group of people who control a country or area
(D) Causing damage or injury
(E) The activity of making, buying, or selling goods or services
(F) People who know a lot about a certain subject
(G) A particular kind of material or matter
(H) Being free from danger or harm
(I) Instructions that tell you what you can or cannot do
(J) A person or company that sells things
(K) To find an answer to a problem
(L) Liked by many people
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. Which countries are checking spices from Indian companies MDH and Everest for a harmful pesticide?
(a) France, Germany, and Italy
(b) Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US
(c) China, Japan, and Australia
(d) Brazil, Mexico, and Canada

2. Which continent is the European Union located in?
(a) Asia
(b) North America
(c) Europe
(d) Africa

3. How long has MDH been around?
(a) 50 years
(b) 25 years
(c) 10 years
(d) 105 years

4. Which spice brand claims to be the biggest in India?
(a) Everest
(b) MDH
(c) McCormick
(d) Spice World

5. What does India need to do a better job with, according to experts?
(a) Transportation
(b) Food safety
(c) Education
(d) Sports

6. What could happen if India doesn’t solve the spice safety problem?
(a) People might start buying more Indian spices
(b) The price of Indian spices might go up
(c) People might stop buying Indian spices
(d) The Indian government might ban the sale of spices

7. Who is testing the spices to make sure they are safe?
(a) The Indian government
(b) The European Union
(c) The United States
(d) Singapore

8. Why is it important for India to solve the spice safety problem?
(a) To become the biggest country in the world
(b) To win a cooking competition
(c) To start a new business in the spice industry
(d) To stay a top spice seller in the world

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. It is important for India to solve this problem to stay a top spice seller in the world.
2. If India doesn’t address this issue, people may continue purchasing Indian spices.
3. Experts say India needs to do a better job with food safety to keep their spices safe.
4. Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US are not inspecting spices from Indian companies MDH and Everest for a harmful pesticide.
5. The safety concerns about Indian spices could hurt India’s spice business a lot.
6. MDH and Everest are lesser-known spice brands in India that are new to the market.
7. The Indian government is not investigating these spices to ensure they are safe.
8. The European Union has also found this harmful substance in Indian spices.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What are some countries that are checking Indian spices for a harmful pesticide?
2. Why is it important for India to make sure their spices are safe?
3. How long has MDH been selling spices?
4. What does Everest claim to be in India?
5. What might happen if India doesn’t fix their food safety problem?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What are people worried about regarding Indian spices?
People are worried about the safety of Indian spices.

2. Which countries are checking spices from Indian companies MDH and Everest?
Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US are checking spices from MDH and Everest.

3. What harmful substance did the European Union find in Indian spices?
The European Union found a harmful pesticide in Indian spices.

4. How long has MDH been around?
MDH has been around for 105 years.

5. What does Everest claim to be?
Everest claims to be the biggest spice maker in India.

6. What is the Indian government doing to ensure the safety of these spices?
The Indian government is testing these spices to make sure they are safe.

7. Why is it important for India to solve this problem?
It is important for India to solve this problem because it could hurt their spice business and they want to remain a top spice seller in the world.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) worried
(2) spices
(3) Singapore
(4) India
(5) Everest
(6) many
(7) testing
(8) safe
(9) needs
(10) strict
(11) buying
(12) solve
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. pesticide
Answer: (A) A chemical used to kill insects that can damage plants

2. harmful
Answer: (D) Causing damage or injury

3. substance
Answer: (G) A particular kind of material or matter

4. business
Answer: (E) The activity of making, buying, or selling goods or services

5. popular
Answer: (L) Liked by many people

6. government
Answer: (C) The group of people who control a country or area

7. experts
Answer: (F) People who know a lot about a certain subject

8. safety
Answer: (H) Being free from danger or harm

9. strict
Answer: (B) Very firm and not easy to change

10. rules
Answer: (I) Instructions that tell you what you can or cannot do

11. solve
Answer: (K) To find an answer to a problem

12. seller
Answer: (J) A person or company that sells things
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. Which countries are checking spices from Indian companies MDH and Everest for a harmful pesticide?
Answer: (b) Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US

2. Which continent is the European Union located in?
Answer: (c) Europe

3. How long has MDH been around?
Answer: (d) 105 years

4. Which spice brand claims to be the biggest in India?
Answer: (a) Everest

5. What does India need to do a better job with, according to experts?
Answer: (b) Food safety

6. What could happen if India doesn’t solve the spice safety problem?
Answer: (c) People might stop buying Indian spices

7. Who is testing the spices to make sure they are safe?
Answer: (a) The Indian government

8. Why is it important for India to solve the spice safety problem?
Answer: (d) To stay a top spice seller in the world
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. It is important for India to solve this problem to stay a top spice seller in the world. (Answer: True)
2. If India doesn’t address this issue, people may continue purchasing Indian spices. (Answer: False)
3. Experts say India needs to do a better job with food safety to keep their spices safe. (Answer: True)
4. Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US are not inspecting spices from Indian companies MDH and Everest for a harmful pesticide. (Answer: False)
5. The safety concerns about Indian spices could hurt India’s spice business a lot. (Answer: True)
6. MDH and Everest are lesser-known spice brands in India that are new to the market. (Answer: False)
7. The Indian government is not investigating these spices to ensure they are safe. (Answer: False)
8. The European Union has also found this harmful substance in Indian spices. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧