Bengaluru: The state government on Monday banned the usage of artificial colouring agents such as Rhodamine-B in the production of food items such as cotton candy and gobi manchurian.
Addressing the press on Monday, Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao noted that such artificial colours were of poor quality and posed harms to public health, and warned of serious action against anyone who continues to use them in food production.
Following reports of health concerns due to the poor quality of such items, the Karnataka regional office of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India collected and tested samples of 25 types of cotton candy being produced across the state. Of these, 15 samples were found to have artificial colouring – five with tartrazine dye, four with sunset yellow colouring, and six with Rhodamine-B – and were deemed unsafe.
Additionally, 171 samples of gobi manchurian were tested in state laboratories, of which, 107 samples were deemed unsafe due to the presence of artificial food colouring.
The Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, prohibits the use of artificial or synthetic colours beyond standard limits in the making of cotton candy. According to section 16 of the regulations, any artificial food colouring is not allowed in the production of gobi manchurian.
Hence, the government has banned the use of any artificial colours in the production of gobi manchurian and the use of artificial dyes such as Rhodamine-B beyond permissible limits in the production of cotton candy.
People who are found flouting this ban can attract 7 years to lifetime imprisonment, along with Rs 10 lakh as punishment.
(Published 11 March 2024, 07:37 IST)
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