The sale of cotton candy (panju mittai) has been banned in Tamil Nadu after an analysis of samples collected from stalls in Chennai confirmed the presence of cancer-causing chemicals, Health Minister Ma. Subramanian has said.
The recent analysis of several samples found the presence of Rhodamine-B, an industrial dye, that was added in the candy as an artificial colouring agent.
In a press release issued on Saturday, February 17, 2024, the Minister said the analysis of colour soft candy/candy floss samples at the Government Food Analysis Laboratory found that Rhodamine-B was used as an artificial colouring agent. As per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, therefore, this was confirmed to be substandard and unsafe food, he stated.
