Colour used to to dye clothes allegedly mixed with turmeric and chilli powder at spice mill in Modinagar
spice mill in Modinagar on Thursday revealed that industrial color used to dye clothes was allegedly mixed with turmeric and chili powder to make them appear brighter.
Officials from the food safety department said they found multiple packets of synthetic color with warnings of “for industrial use only” and “poisonous” printed on them. Around 200kg of turmeric and 150kg of red chili powder were seized from the premises of Annapurna Flour Mill, owned by businessman Ashok Garg. Till late on Friday evening, officials had yet to lodge any complaint against him.
“When we took the spice samples in our hand, we could feel the extra gritty texture between our fingers. We don’t even allow food color in spices because they have their own color. Adding synthetic colors, which are only for industrial use, is a serious offense. It can be toxic,” said Meera Singh, the food safety officer.
Spices manufactured at Annapurna were not sold under any brand name, but in the wholesale market and subzi mandi in bulk, officials said. Small dhabas and roadside eateries are the main customers of such spices sold loose.
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Industrial Colors Detected
A total of 3.5 quintals of spices were seized during the raid on Thursday.
“While turmeric powder was being sold for Rs 300 a kg, red chili was priced at Rs 400. Red and yellow synthetic colors were added to them so that they appeared brighter and the overall quantity increased as well. We also found multiple
