A row has erupted after a government-run civic corporation accused a Kashmir spice-producing company of using harmful colouring agents in fennel which can even cause cancer.
The Srinagar Municipal Corporation says consuming fennel produced by Kanwal Agro Food Industries can lead to serious health problems. But the company says it has initiated legal action against the SMC officer who issued the directive on Monday.
SMC, health officer, Dr Shafqat Khan says the tests on a sample of the spice – bearing lot No. KA/SP/E-Pkg dated 04/06/2013 – were conducted by the Central Food laboratory, Kolkata The fennel is produced in the Anantnag unit of the company.
The company Tuesday termed the claims made by the health officer ‘as hollow’ and said: we have initiated legal action against Dr Khan for maligning the image and credibility of the company.
Dr Khan had said the fennel (sounf powder) produced by the company contained Carmoisine and Tartrazine which are unsafe.
The company said the fennel sample was sent to the office of the Public Analyst Kashmir who cleared the samples. “The concerned Health Officer, as per his statement, was dissatisfied with the report and thereof claims to have sent the counter samples fennel to the Central Testing Laboratory Kolkatta to counter verify the sample for chemical characteristics and the report furnished by the laboratory claims that it found Carmoisine and Tartrazine were found in the tested samples,” Kanwal Agro said in a statement issued today.
Studies have found Carmoisine and Tartrazine to cause cancer in humans and both the chemicals have been banned in almost all the developed countries, however owing to cost cutting measures many developing countries continue to use these chemicals.
“We have initiated legal action against the concerned Health Officer as no SOP's have been followed in our case and the rules and regulation laid down in the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 were not followed,” the statement issued by the leading spice manufacturer which supplies spices to nearly 30 countries across the globe read.
The company has directed all distributors, retailers and consumers to stop the sale or distribution of fennel and return the product so that it could be destroyed. “We reassure the general public that neither Carmoisine nor Tartrazine are mixed in our fennel nor can it be mixed since that would impart red or yellow colour to the product,” the statement reads.
The company has formed a team which is lifting the adultered spice from the market.
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