Tamil Nadu bans sale of cotton candy after tests reveal presence of cancer-causing dye | Chennai News
Tamil Nadu bans sale of cotton candy after tests reveal presence of cancer-causing dye | Chennai News
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Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Saturday banned the production and sale of cotton candy in the state after tests at the government lab confirmed the presence of cancer-causing chemicals in samples collected by the food safety department from beaches and other areas in Chennai.
The minister noted that as the test results from the Government Food Analysis Laboratory confirmed the presence of cancer-causing chemicals in cotton candy, its sale would be banned in the state. He added that the use of Rhodamine-B as a food additive in manufacturing, packaging, import, sale of food or serving food containing it at weddings and other public events would be punishable under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Subramanian said the Commissioner of Food Safety has directed officials to take strict action as per the Act.
Food safety officials confirm the presence of Rhodamine-B in the samples they collected from candy shops on city beaches a few days ago. pic.twitter.com/RYKUpR809e
— Janardhan Koushik (@koushiktweets) February 16, 2024
Two weeks ago, a team of officials led by P Satheesh Kumar, designated officer, Food Safety Department, Chennai, raided stalls in Marina beach and other areas which sold cotton candy. This came days after a similar raid in Puducherry and subsequent tests revealed the presence of Rhodamine-B, an industrial dye, in the cotton candy sold there. The dye was used as an artificial colouring agent in the candy.
Addressing reporters, Satheesh Kumar had earlier said that the samples seized from Chennai would be sent for lab testing. He also urged the public not to consume cotton candy until the test results were out.
On February 16, the food safety department issued a statement confirming the presence of Rhodamine-B in the samples of cotton candy, also known as candy floss, and declared the samples as ‘substandard’ and ‘unsafe’.
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