Shan Foods (Private) Limited is a Pakistani producer of packaged spice mixes, primarily used in South Asian dishes. The company was established in 1981 as a single-room operation by its founder, Sikander Sultan, in Pakistan and quickly grew from there to becoming a major player in the packaged spice mixes industry.[1][2]
Currently, the company portfolio of products is available in over 150 countries, across 5 continents. It consists of recipe mixes, plain spices, ready-to-cook sauces, cooking pastes, dessert mixes, cooking condiments, accompaniments, and instant noodles.
The company also has a research and development department that is responsible for developing new products and improving existing ones.
History
Shan Foods was founded in 1981, as a cottage industry operation, operating out of the home of the company's founder Sikander Sultan. He, along with his wife, started making spice mixes at their home, experimenting extensively to come up with unique offerings, which instantly picked up a loyal fan-base both, at home and with Pakistanis who had moved to the neighbouring Arab countries, Europe, USA and Canada.[3][1]
Controversies
In July 2023, reports from the German media indicated a ban on the products exported by the company in the German market due to the alleged presence of Ethylene Oxide, a fumigant and pesticide, which is known to pose serious health hazards including cancer upon consumption and is banned from food production in Europe. The news was shared by the Pakistani politician Khurram Shehzad on his Twitter account which caused a backlash against the company by the general public in Pakistan. In response to this, Ideal Foods Traders GmBH, a German retailer of Asian food products issued a statement in which it was clarified that only specific batches of 12 products from Shan Foods were recalled from the market. After the initial unresponsiveness to the question asked by the media, the company officially rejected these claims on its Twitter account as "incorrect and misleading", claiming that its products were safe for consumption and met health and safety standards.[4][5]
