Tamil Nadu government has banned the sale of cotton candy (panju mittai) after an analysis of samples collected from stalls in Chennai confirmed the presence of Rhodamine-B-a cancer-causing chemical.
Key points
- Rhodamine-B is an industrial dye, that was added in the candy as an artificial colouring agent.
- It is used in leather colouring as well as paper printing. It cannot be used for food colouring, and has immediate and long-term health hazards.
- The use of Rhodamine-B as a food additive in manufacturing, packaging, import and sale as well as serving food containing it at weddings/functions/public events was a punishable offence under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
- As an immediate effect, consumption can cause fullness of the stomach, itching and breathing problems. Long-term consumption can affect kidney function and cause irreversible damage.
- It can affect the liver function and cause non-healing ulcers in the intestine that can turn cancerous. It can also cause neurotoxicity.
