Thursday, 26 May 2016

KMC Orders Testing Of Breads For Cancer-Causing Chemicals

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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