Pani Puri, a quick and affordable roadside snack, has recently raised health concerns in Karnataka. According to the report, 18 out of 260 samples were marked unfit for consumption by the food safety officials.

An inspection conducted by the FSSAI across 79 locations in Karnataka out of which 49 locations were in Bengaluru revealed that, out of the 260 samples, 41 contained artificial coloring agents and additional cancer-causing (carcinogenic) elements all leading to the conclusion that they are unfit for human consumption.

Upon further investigation, the samples collected contained chemical agents like sunset yellow, brilliant blue, and tartrazine ( a petroleum product) which can cause serious health issues.

Overconsumption of these synthetic dyes can cause various side effects including skin allergies, rashes, digestive issues and hyperactivity in children. Tartrazine has also been linked to asthma and genetic mutations leading to cancer in children.

The Health Minister of Karnataka, Dinesh Gundu Rao made a tweet to address this issue

Rhodamine-B banned in Karnataka

Tasty food items like Gobi Manchurian and cotton candy contain a harmful food coloring agent called Rhodamine-B usually used as a fluorescent tracer dye in water bodies to determine the flow rate and direction of the water. Its fluorescent property makes it easily detectable by fluorometers.

However, Rhodamine-B used as a coloring agent in food items is known to be carcinogenic causing cell death and tissue damage to the cerebellum, brainstem, kidney, and liver hence banned earlier this year by the Karnataka government.

Rao also advised people to be vigilant about the ingredients and the quality of food they consume.

He mentioned that the restaurant owners should be responsible for maintaining hygiene or else strict action would be taken by the Health Department of Karnataka (DHFWKA).

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Gayatri Prakasan/MSM)