The Maharashtra FDA has asked Parle to recall its entire stock of the
candy as it was found to contain buffered lactic acid, which is
prohibited under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.
Mumbai, Oct 13:
The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked
Mumbai-headquartered Parle Products to recall its entire stock of candy
‘Mango Bite' from the market, terming it ‘unsafe’ for consumption.
A State FDA team that searched the Parle Biscuits factory near Nashik a
few days ago seized stock of the hard-boiled candy ‘Kaccha Mango Bite’
and raw material.
Officials of the FDA Konkan Division raided two other locations in
Raigad and Bhiwandi, and confiscated more stocks of the finished candy
and ingredients.
The FDA has asked Parle to recall its entire stock of the candy as it
was found to contain buffered lactic acid, which is prohibited under the
Food Safety and Standard Act of 2006.
Awaiting info
Commenting on the matter, a Parle Products spokesperson said,
“Currently, we are looking into the matter and awaiting information from
the FDA authorities pertaining to the recalling of the stocks. Further
course of action will be based on that.”
The candy ‘Kachha Mango Bite’ derives its name from the taste of tangy
raw mango. The company had earlier launched Mango Bite, and then added a
twist to it with the raw mango taste.
In 2002, it had engineered a Single Twist Wrapping and also launched a juice-filled candy variant, Juizy Mangoh.
An industry expert, speaking on condition of anonymity, said lactic acid
is added to candies such as gummy bears, hard candy and other
confectionary products by most confectionary companies.
“Lactic acid in food products usually serves either as a pH regulator or
as a preservative. It is also used as a flavouring agent. While
formulating hard-boiled candy with lactic acid, it results in a mild
acid taste, reduced stickiness and a longer shelf life. FDA guidelines,
however, say companies cannot include it in their candy,” he added.
In another instance, following reports of food poisoning among children
in Nanded district, an FDA team searched the Parle Biscuits factory on
October 3.
The company spokesperson said the legal team at Parle Products is looking into the matter.
