Karnataka Bans Sale of Cotton Candy and Gobi Manchurian
The Karnataka government has banned colored gobi manchurian and cotton candy over health concerns, as reported by India Today on Monday. The Karnataka Health Department prohibited the use of Rhodamine-B food coloring agent in cotton candy and gobi manchurian.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced the ban, stating, “If anyone is found using Rhodamine-B food coloring agent, then severe action will be taken against them under the Food Safety Act.”
Rao expressed concerns about the poor quality of these food items throughout the southern state due to artificial coloring, which has been adversely affecting people’s health. He stated that the department conducted a drive.
Out of 171 samples of gobi manchurian collected, 64 were deemed safe while 106 were found to be unsafe. Additionally, a total of 25 cotton candy samples were collected, with 10 found to be safe and 15 deemed unsafe.
Tartrazine, Carmoisine, Sunset Yellow, and Rhodamine-1B were among the artificial colors found to be used in the samples. “Samples were collected from hotels, roadside shops, among others. Many have turned out unsafe. Using Rhodamine as a coloring agent is banned. Eateries use this coloring agent to make food items look more red,” said Dinesh Gundu Rao.
The state commissioner of food safety has issued an order directing the banning of any artificial colors in gobi manchurian and cotton candy. Some of the samples of gobi manchurian were taken from 3-star hotels in Karnataka, and those also turned out to be unsafe.
