Cotton Candy Banned In Puducherry; Find Out The Reason (image: unsplash/Brandi Alexandra)
The Puducherry government has banned the sale of cotton candy after finding the use of a toxic chemical in its making. On Thursday, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan made the announcement in a video. Sharing the video on her official Instagram handle, Lieutenant Governor urged the people not to buy cotton candy for kids since the presence of toxic substance in it may affect their physical health.
Tamilsai Soundararajan says that food safety officials have found Rhodamine-B, a toxic substance, in cotton candy samples. “It has been found that a toxic substance named ‘Rhodamine B’ is being used in the cotton candies that are consumed by children and others in Puducherry,” Governor said.
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The governor added that government officials have been administered to inspect all the cotton candy-selling shops, and in case, if the presence of toxic substance is found, the shops will be seized. Besides, she has also requested people not to provide food items laced with colour additives to children.
Along with the video clip, Tamilisai Soundararajan wrote the caption: “Don”t buy chemical cotton candy for children which affects the health of children…” and posted it with the hashtags, “cotton candy”, “panchu mittai,” and “Puducherry”.
However, India Today citing an order stated that sellers who obtain a quality certificate from the food safety department can continue to sell cotton candy.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH.gov), Rhodamine B (RhB) is a chemical compound that functions as a textile dye. It often enters the body when mixed with food, thereby causing oxidative stress on cells and tissues, the website states. The usage of Rhodamine B in food for a longer period of time may result in liver dysfunction or cancer. The exposure to large amounts of the substance can even lead to acute poisoning, it adds.
