Why has Karnataka banned certain colouring agents?

Where were these harmful agents found? Which are the colouring agents rendered as harmful? What are the stipulated penalties if manufacturers are found using these chemicals?

Karnataka became the third State in South India to ban the use of certain colouring agents in cotton candy and gobi manchurian that are found to be harmful. The decision follows similar steps taken in Tamil Nadu and Goa, and came after a survey by the Public Health Department that showed the presence of harmful chemicals present in the food samples, making them unsafe for consumption. The government has also clarified that there is no ban on making cotton candy as long as these colouring agents are not used.

What did the survey results show?

Samples in the State were collected from

February 12 and submitted for laboratory tests, which then revealed the presence of harmful chemicals in many samples. Of the 25 cotton candy samples collected, 15 were termed as unsafe as they contained colours, while the rest were safe samples as they were made without added colours. Among the 171 samples of gobi manchurian collected, 107 samples were declared unsafe due to added colours, while 64 were declared safe as they did not contain added colours.

What were the harmful chemicals?

The unsafe samples with added colours showed traces of sunset yellow, tartrazine and rhodamineb in cotton candy. Similarly, the unsafe samples of gobi manchurian had tartrazine, sunset yellow and carmoisine. A ban is already in place over the use of colouring agent rhodamineb, a suspected carcinogenic substance. In the case of tartrazine, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said that although it is an approved artificial food colour, there are restrictions on its usage. There is a list of food items in which it can be used, with the amount to be used also prescribed. However, these conditions are only for packed food items; tartrazine cannot be used for food items which are freshly prepared, he said.

While notifying the ban of harmful chemicals, the Food Safety Commissioner said that the prolonged use of snacks that contain artificial colours can lead to deadly diseases such as cancer.

What are the penalties?

As per Rule 16 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (Food Products Standards and Food Additives Regulation 2011), no artificial colours should be used in the preparation of gobi manchurian. The same rules allow certain food colours to be used within the approved limits, while nonpermitted colours, including rhodamineb, should not be used in the preparation of cotton candy.

The cancellation of licence for commercial activities, hefty fines and jail term have been threatened against the offenders. The Food Safety and Standards Act stipulate a fine of not less than ₹10 lakh and a jail term of a minimum of seven years, extending to life imprisonment, against those using banned chemical substances in food products.

What next?

Health safety officials assert that the ban on the use of harmful chemicals has come into effect immediately. While the Government plans to create awareness among manufacturers, it has also urged consumers to be aware of what they are consuming. The notification advised the public not to use, or use minimally, food items prepared with artificial colours. Random checks will be conducted to ascertain adherence to the legal provisions.

Besides gobi manchurian, other popular food products such as kebabs in which colouring agents are used is likely to come under the scanner.