How safe is your plate in restaurants?

Task force teams from Telangana Commissioner of Food Safety uncover a widespread use of synthetic food colours in several restaurants, particularly in HMDA area, and in some hotels in districts as well

Hyderabad: Vibrant red tandoori chicken, chicken 65, popular ‘Shaadi Wala’ red chicken curry, reddish gobi manchurian or the rich orange-yellow biryani that you order in restaurants might look appetising on the plate.

However, behind the mouth-watering colours that make food visually appealing lies a less savoury truth – synthetic food colours which put public health at risk including cancer.

The task force teams of Telangana Commissioner of Food Safety have uncovered widespread use of synthetic food colours in several restaurants, particularly in the HMDA area, and in some hotels in districts as well.

During recent raids, the food inspectors found several eateries using the synthetic food colours to enhance the visual appeal of the dishes, including vegetable and non-vegetable biryanis, chicken 65, tandoori chicken and various kebabs.

Some restaurants were also found to be using non-food grade red and orange colours besides artificial flavours of chocolate and cardamom for preparing sweets.

“We have come across several restaurants using synthetic colours for preparing popular dishes. As per the FSSAI norms, no artificial food colours are to be added in food. On noticing the colour, we are immediately discarding the food,” a senior health official said. As per rules, food colours are only permitted in sweets and cold beverages and such content is permitted with the limits of 100 gm/kg.

Doctors express concerns over the widespread usage of synthetic colours in restaurants. “The synthetic food colours are made from chemicals, which are carcinogenic and damage the digestive system. People consuming such food are at risk of developing stomach cancers, ulcers, gastroenteritis, hyper acidity and chronic illness. Of late, the number of people diagnosed with stomach cancers has gone up. It’s always better to prefer home cooked food at any given time,” said Dr Bheerappa Nagari, Director, NIMS, and Surgical Gastroenterologist.

Due to rising public health concerns, the Karnataka government prohibited synthetic colours in food preparation last year. However, so far, there has been no such proposal with the Telangana government.