Parry Nutraceuticals has secured a European Union import licence for organic spirulina – the first to be granted to an Indian company in nearly two years.

In October 2022, the European Commission delisted a number of Indian organic certification bodies after detecting traces of the EU-banned pesticide ethylene oxide in a shipment of organic sesame seeds from India. The ruling affected the only body in the world authorised to certify organic microalgae from India, putting an indefinite stop to imports of organic spirulina into the EU from India. 

Following the European Commission’s decision, Chennai-based Parry Nutraceuticals – which produces only spirulina that is certified organic – began the search for a Europe-based body willing to develop the capacity to certify organic spirulina from India. Having identified a credible European partner, and after more than a year of work behind the scenes, Parry Nutraceuticals is now able to resume exports to the EU with immediate effect.

Baburaj Lakshmi Kanthan, Parry Nutraceutical’s head of business, welcomed the news. “It was a long process – much longer than we’d hoped for – but we are delighted to be back in the EU,” he said. “We thank our customers for their loyalty and patience during this delay and we look forward to working with them again.”

During its absence from the EU in the past two years, Parry Nutraceuticals, part of India’s $5.3billion Murugappa Group, has invested considerably in research and development and will re-enter the European market with new, improved versions of its organic Spirulina powders and tablets. These are manufactured using the innovative Tuymai filtration process. This preserves Spirulina’s cell structure, which the company says enhances its purity and organoleptic profile, and increasing the levels of phycocyanin in the powder. Phycocyanin is a powerful bioactive associated with health benefits including muscle recovery and immunity. 

Rajendran Lingan, head of quality assurance at Parry Nutraceuticals, commented: “We have been very busy during our temporary absence from the EU market, and we are excited to offer the latest version of our superior quality Spirulina to our European customers. We are one of only two Spirulina producers worldwide with two separate Organic Certifications. In addition to EU Organic status, we also now hold certification from the even more stringent Naturland, which is a gold-standard European scheme demonstrating that we are compliant with the most exacting ecological and social sustainability standards. We are also the only microalgae producer with USP verification – and our contaminant levels are three to five times lower than current EU regulatory requirements.”

Parry Nutraceuticals’ microalgae raceway ponds, located in the south Indian countryside. Image credit: ©Parry Nutraceuticals.