Agra's Food Safety Department has decided to conduct sample tests in bakeries across the city, following revelations by theCentre for Science and Environment (CSE) that 84 per cent of bread and bakery samples collected from across Delhi contain cancer and thyroid causing residues of potassium bromate , iodate or both.
Confirming the move, Ram Naresh Yadav, designated officer, Food Safety and drug administration said while the FDA has approved few additives FDA for use in bakery products, some manufacturers could be using compounds that are harmful to increase the shelf life of their products. He said since the report reveals that majority of samples in Delhi had failed tests, the department had decided to conduct checks in the city, which has about 50 big bakery units.
While on the face of it the decision to conduct such checks may appear to be prudent, the fact is that Agra so far does not have any state of the art food testing laboratories. Only two weeks ago, the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) had approved a National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) certified lab but unfortunately it would functional only by the end of 2017.
Sources in the department confess that so far their labs are only equipped to check for presence of some chemicals in food items but cannot conduct tests for adulteration. "Since such mass tests on bakeries would be conducted for the first time, one cannot be sure about their results", said an officer on condition of anonymity.
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