Karnataka bans use of harmful dyes in Gobi Manchurian, cotton candy

“There are two chemicals which are of concern – Tartrazine and Rhodamine-B. These are unsafe to use and Rhodamine-B is carcinogenic… Since they are found in cotton candy, it is alarming as children consume it,” the minister added.

Amid rumours that the government has ‘banned Gobi Manchurian’, Rao said Gobi Manchurian was not unsafe. “When a colouring agent is used, it becomes unsafe… Can we ban Gobi Manchurian? No. We are just saying that the use of the chemical in the preparation of the dish is banned,” he said.

Any vendor found to be using such chemicals could face imprisonment of up to seven years and attract fines of up to Rs 10 lakh.

An official reminder by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India issued on March 11 noted that of the 15 cotton candy samples that had artificial colours, five were found to have used the Tartrazine dye, four used sunset yellow dye and six Rhodamine-B. All three chemicals are known to cause various health complications. Rhodamine-B is associated with cancer and is used for industrial purposes in the printing and textile industry.

Using such chemicals violates the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products, Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, the reminder noted. It also barred the excess use of food colours, apart from using harmful chemicals such as Rhodamine-B in food products.

It can be recalled that both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry had banned the sale of cotton candy after Rhodamine-B samples were found in them.