NEW DELHI:  A day after a Centre for Science and Environment report said that everyday bakery items could have cancer causing substances like potassium bromate, the Food Safety Standards Association of India or FSSAI has said there is no need to panic.

The food regulator has announced a ban on potassium bromate, an additive that’s commonly used in bakery products, but says eating bread is still ‘absolutely safe’.

FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal, the CEO  said, “As an abundant precaution we have decided that potassium bromate will no longer be permitted as an additive after our panel recommended it though there is limited evidence that it causes cancer. Bread is still safe to consume. Global standards are a reference. We have to develop our own standards for Indian conditions.”

Countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, China and Sri Lanka have banned the use of potassium bromate as a flour treatment agent years ago. CODEX, the international body that sets safety standards for food products also considered it unsafe in 2012.

Shortly after a CSE report claimed  that samples of almost all top bakery brands in Delhi contained cancer-causing chemicals, bread manufacturers rubbished it. They said they adhere to the rules set by India’s food regulator.

A study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), found that nearly 84 per cent of 38 commonly available brands of pre-packaged breads  tested positive for potassium bromate and potassium iodate, banned in some countries  as “hazardous” for public health.

It stated that bromate is a category 2B carcinogen (possibly carcinogenic to humans), and iodate could trigger thyroid disorders.

“FSSAI (Food Safety Standards Authority of India) regulations permit the use of potassium bromate and/or potassium iodate at 50 ppm max for bread and at 20 ppm max in maida for bakery purpose under food products standards,” All India Bread Manufacturers’ Association president Ramesh Mago said in a statement on Monday evening.He said  the same additives were considered  safe and widely used in  the United States of America.

The samples which were tested included brands such as Britannia, Harvest Gold and the fast food chains – KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Subway, McDonald’s and Slice of Italy said the CSE report.

“We have not seen the report of CSE on presence of potassium bromate in different bread brands collected by them from Delhi market about a year back (May 2015). Only after going through the contents of the report in detail, we will be able to give our response and considered views regarding this issue,” Mago said in the statement.

Britannia, KFC, Domino’s, McDonald’s and Subway say  these chemicals are not used in their products. The Union health ministry had ordered a probe on the basis on CSE report.

“We are seized of the matter. I have told my officials to report to me on an urgent basis. There is no need to panic. Very soon we will come out with the (probe) report,” health minister JP Nadda said.

CSE’s Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML) tested 38 commonly available branded varieties of pre-packaged breads, pav and buns, ready-to-eat burger bread and ready-to-eat pizza breads of popular fast food outlets from Delhi.

“We found 84 per cent samples positive with potassium bromate or iodate. We re-confirmed the presence of potassium bromate or iodate in a few samples through an external third-party laboratory. We checked labels and talked to industry and scientists.

“Our study confirms the widespread use of potassium bromate or iodate as well as presence of bromate or iodate residues in the final product,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, CSE.

[Edited by Newsnet Intern Debrata Sarma]

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