A large number of candy traders and manufacturers from the city took part in a meeting conducted jointly by food safety officials and the District Small Scale Candy and Biscuits Manufacturers Association at Ismailpuram in Madurai on Thursday.
Food safety officials led by designated officer for food safety, Madurai, Dr M Somasundaram addressed the meet, which was attended by more than 100 members of the association. Officials explained the legal aspects of manufacturing and selling substandard products and excessive usage of colours. The members were told to immediately get rid of candies prepared using excessive colours.
Somasundaram asked the traders to get bills from manufacturers without fail as it will be a proof to take action against them for the issues found in the food materials distributed by them. At present, most of the manufacturers are not issuing bills and traders do not press for it.
One of the sellers said that most of the manufacturers are part of cottage industry and do not have bill books with them. Somasundaram said that it is a must to obtain bills and they will surely issue it if insisted.
The food safety officials said that the 100 parts per million standards was fixed way back in 1950’s, at a time when people do not get to eat food purchased from outside. Nowadays, people eat food items purchased outside every single day. It is better to manufacture and sell food products without any colour. They are regulating all industries such as hotels, bakeries and snack shop on using colours, they said.
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