Cotton Candy Sellers Investigated By Food Safety Department At Chennai

Officials from the Food Safety Department have issued a warning to the public advising them not to purchase rose-coloured cotton candy for children as it may contain a banned pigment that can cause cancer. This type of cotton candy is often sold in places where children are present, such as parks, fairs, stadiums, exhibitions and schools.

A young man from North Nadu who was selling cotton candy was invited to a nursing college in Puducherry, where the cotton candy he was selling was tested. The aim was to determine whether the cotton candy contained a banned and unapproved pigment called 'Rhodamine B', or if it contained the approved colorant as specified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The test results revealed that the cotton candy being sold contained the banned and unapproved pigment 'Rhodamine B', which has caused an uproar among the public. Responding to the public's demand, officials from the Food Safety Department conducted an inspection at Marina Beach in Chennai. 

A team of officers, including Sathasivam, Selvam, Suppandi and Kannan, led by Food Safety Department-appointed officer Satish Kumar, conducted an investigation and arrested all those selling cotton candy on the beach. Most of the arrested sellers were from North India.

More than 500 cotton candy packets were seized from them. The officers were too shocked to see different coloured cotton candies. They said that the cotton candy manufacturers use dyes used for papers and clothes in the cotton candy.

The seized samples were sent to the Food Analysis Laboratory in Guindy for testing, and authorities have warned that strict actions will be taken against the cotton candy manufacturers.