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Worries about Indian spices hurting people’s health

Safety concerns over Indian spices arise as investigations reveal potential contamination with cancer-causing pesticide.
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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:

πŸ“– Vocabulary:

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

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.

πŸ€” 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?

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

People are about the safety of Indian . , 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 n spices. This problem could hurt India's spice business a lot. MDH and are very popular spice brands in India. MDH has been around for 105 years and sells different spices. Everest says it is the biggest spice maker in India. The Indian government is now these spices to make sure they are . Experts say India to do a better job with food safety. They need to be clear and about the rules to keep their spices safe. If they don't fix this, people might stop Indian spices. It's important for India to this problem to stay a top spice seller in the world.

πŸ’¬ Discussion Questions:

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

πŸ“–πŸ’­ Vocabulary Meanings:

Click a dot next to a word, then click the dot next to its meaning to draw a line connecting them.

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

πŸ”‘ 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) China, Japan, and Australia
(c) Brazil, Mexico, and Canada
(d) Singapore, Hong Kong, and the US
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) 105 years
(b) 50 years
(c) 25 years
(d) 10 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) People might stop buying Indian spices
(c) The price of Indian spices might go up
(d) The Indian government might ban the sale of spices
7. Who is testing the spices to make sure they are safe?
(a) The European Union
(b) The United States
(c) Singapore
(d) The Indian government
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 stay a top spice seller in the world
(d) To start a new business in the spice industry

πŸ•΅οΈ True or False Questions:

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

πŸ“ Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Check your writing now with the best free AI for English writing!

Writing Questions:

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?

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