Ludhiana, June 3
City-based bread makers claimed to have finally done away with potassium bromate, the use of which had created stir following a controversial report of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) that stated that the commonly available bread in the market contained carcinogenic chemicals.
However, the controversial 924 (a), which stand for potassium bromate, still has a mention on wrappers of some of the bread-making firms.
On the other hand, all major bread manufacturers are currently carrying out a hectic advertising to re-establish their image, which had taken a hit following the controversy.
Ramesh Mago, MD, Kitty Industries Private Limited, who is also the president of the All-India Bread Manufacturers’ Association, said they had stopped the use of potassium bromate.
“We have crores of wrappers in stock with the mention of the chemical. We cannot dump these. We blacken the letter 924 (a), which stand for potassium bromate, with a black marker,” said Ramesh Mago.
When he was told that the packed bread in the market still had a mention of 924 (a), he said some of the bread wrappers might not have been marked. “Please ignore it as potassium bromate is not being used,” said Ramesh.
A study by the CSE’s pollution monitoring laboratory (PML) had revealed that 84 per cent of the bread samples collected from Delhi contained residues of potassium bromate and potassium iodate in the range of 1.15-22.54 parts per million (ppm). Potassium bromate and potassium iodate are used to treat flour meant for baking. The report states that consuming bread could lead to a deadly disease.
The CSE report caused widespread panic and led to nearly 40 per cent dip in the sale of bread. Avoiding entering into any tug-of– way with the CSE over the report, the bread makers immediately stopped the use of the chemical. The bread manufacturers claimed that they were adhering to the food safety norms laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
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