Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal
Corporation (KMC) has ordered sampling and testing of bread products across the
city after a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reportedly
found certain harmful chemicals in bread, buns, pavs, pizza bases and other commercially-sold
bakery items, an official said on Wednesday.
Atin Ghosh, Mayor-In-Council member
(Health), said: “We held a meeting with our food safety officers on Tuesday and
asked them to collect samples from various city pockets. These samples would be
sent on Wednesday to the central government lab (Central Food Laboratory) in
Kyd Street and one other lab at Barasat for testing.” The CSE on Monday
released a report which said that Indian bread manufacturers use potassium
bromate and potassium iodate for treating flour while making bread.
Potassium bromate is known to be a
category 2B carcinogen and is already banned in Britain, the European Union,
Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka, among other countries.
Following the report, the Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on Monday that it was already
considering to take potassium bromate off the list of permitted additives
following recommendation of a scientific panel.
The FSSAI said it was
also examining the evidence against potassium iodate before taking any decision
on disallowing its use. In an evaluation in 1986, the International Agency for
Research on Cancer (IARC), associated with the World Health Organization (WHO),
stated that there was sufficient evidence to show the carcinogenicity of
potassium bromate.
In 1999, IARC
acknowledged that exposure to potassium bromate could occur due to its use as a
dough conditioner and classified it as Class 2B which means “possibly
carcinogenic (cancer-causing) to humans”.
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