Why Karnataka is cracking down on vendors of pani puri and gobi manchurian

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Health

Context:

Karnataka’s food safety department has initiated a statewide crackdown on street food vendors to address the use of artificial food colouring and other harmful agents.

Health Concerns:

Since March, three orders have been issued banning artificial colouring agents in foods like gobi manchurian, cotton candy, chicken kababs, pani puri, and shawarma.
Tests revealed the presence of carcinogenic and harmful bacteria in food samples.
Artificial colouring agents found include Tartrazine, Sunset Yellow, Rhodamine B, and Brilliant Blue, which can cause cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, and respiratory issues.
- Rhodamine B, in particular, is a synthetic dye used in textiles and is harmful to human health.

Legal Actions:

Sample Testing Process:
- Initial survey samples are tested.
- If unsafe, four legal samples are collected and sent to the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, Karnataka, for further testing.
- If CFTRI deems them unfit for consumption, legal action is pursued under the Food Safety Act.
FBOs found guilty can face fines up to Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment for up to seven years.

Source: IE