Officials find caustic soda being mixed with product
Food safety officials seized adulterated jaggery weighing over 200 kg in raids on jaggery manufacturing units in the district, on Saturday.
Searches in over 150 units revealed the use of chemicals that made the product unfit for consumption. Officials found that jaggery was being mixed with caustic soda, soda bicarbonate, ammonium nitrate, washing soda, maida and milk powder, to make the product soft and also give it a lighter yellow colour.
Food Safety Officer P.Dinesh told The Hindu that traditionally, jaggery was produced only with sugarcane syrup and limestone, making it rich in iron, calcium and glucose.
However, in keeping with public demand for jaggery that was soft and light coloured, manufacturers were using chemicals that were extremely hazardous to health. Buyers as well as manufacturers required counselling, Mr. Dinesh said. “We found out that almost all the factories were shockingly unclean, where the labourers walk into the toilets barefoot and return to stamp on the jaggery mix. We have seized jaggery from all units, and have given them show cause notices, considering there are also farmers engaged in this agri-based activity,” Mr.Dinesh told The Hindu . The administration has planned to inspect the units a fortnight from now and send the manufactured stock for chemical sampling and further action, the Food Safety officer said.
Searches revealed use of chemicals that made product unfit for consumption
Officials seize jaggery stocks from all the units and have issued show cause notices
Jaggery is traditionally produced only with sugarcane syrup and limestone, making it rich in iron, calcium and glucose
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