Pani Puri, one of the common street foods in India, recently gained public attention as it failed to meet safety standards when the authorities in Karnataka conducted a quality test. The result of the safety standard test shocked Pani Puri lovers, with the health officials finding a cancer-causing substance in the popular street item. Around 22 percent of the of samples collected by the officials failed to meet the safety standards.

Out of the total 260 samples collected by the officials, 41 were found to have artificial colours and carcinogenic agents that cause cancer. Another 18 samples were found to be unfit for human consumption, leaving those with a crazy licking for the bite-sized item in dismay.  

The food safety officials had reportedly received complaints about the quality of the product served in the streets, pushing them to conduct a safety standard check on the products. 

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Srinivas K, Commissioner for food safety said that they received many complaints about the quality of Pani Puri that is being served in streets across the state, urging them to collects samples from roadside stalls to decent restaurants from all over the state to conduct quality checks. “Many samples were found in a stale state and unfit for human consumption,” Decan Herald quoted the safety officer.

The new safety test was conducted amid the state actively cracking down on unhealthy foods, and some of the items have been banned the previous days. Two days ago, Karnataka launched a crackdown on selling ‘unhygienic’ shawarma. The crackdown followed the state’s ban on artificial colour in the preparation of Kebab and other foods including items made of vegetable. The state also imposed a jail term and a hefty fine for the violators.

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