Commissioner asks Tamil Nadu to inspect dairy plants
The Food Safety Commissioner has banned the sale of
three brands of milk brought into the State from Tamil Nadu for a month,
after formalin or formaldehyde, a chemical preservative, was detected
in the milk samples analysed at the Government Analysts Lab here.
The
Food Safety Commissioner has written to his counterpart in Chennai to
immediately inspect the dairy plants concerned and take “punitive action
against the offenders as the public health of both States are
involved”.
The milk brands which were found to
contain formalin are Heritage-Padmanabha, pasteurised, homogenised,
standardised milk from Heritage Food (India) Ltd. in Dindigul district
in Tamil Nadu; Jeshma Milk, from Sofia Raja Milk, Vadakkankulam,
Tirunelveli; and Maima, from Maima Milk Plant at Arulvaimozhi,
Kanyakumari.
Formalin, a chemical used to preserve
tissues for biological and histopathological examinations, is added to
milk to retain its freshness and prevent it from spoiling. It is a human
carcinogen listed by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The
chemical was detected in the milk samples which were collected by the
food safety officers from the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border check-posts, as
part of an intensive drive by the food safety special squads to ensure
the safety of various food items being brought into the State from Tamil
Nadu during the festival season.
Public cautioned
The
Food Safety Commissioner cautioned the public against using other milk
products in the same brand names, without testing these properly.
The
Commissioner also issued a directive to all food safety officers to
collect samples of cotton candy (also known as Bombay Sweet) from across
the State immediately and to send these for analysis, after an
inspection conducted on the Shanghumughom beach here revealed that
cotton candy was coloured with Rhodamine B, a chemical dye.
He
said prosecution, levying of fine, and other legal measures would be
adopted against those who tried to sell banned food items in the State.
The
public should inform the Food Safety Commissioner’s office if they came
across any food item with artificial colouring being sold openly.
Chemical found during inspection at check-posts
Directive to collect samples of cotton candy
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