Govt sends bread samples for tests in Guwahati

SHILLONG: The State government has sent samples of breads collected from bakeries in various districts of the State to the Assam Public Health Laboratory in Guwahati to check the presence of any harmful ingredient.
The move of the State government to send the bread samples for tests comes following reports claiming presence of cancer causing chemicals in bread samples of virtually all top brands in the country.
“I have written the letter on June 14 to conduct the test and we are still awaiting the report,” said Health Minister A.L. Hek on Thursday.
He however said the State government would not ban any bread in the State until it is proven that the breads contain certain harmful ingredients like potassium bromate and potassium iodate.
It may be mentioned that a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study had found that nearly 84 per cent of 38 commonly available brands of pre-packaged breads including pav and buns in India, tested positive for     potassium bromate and potassium iodate which are considered ‘hazardous’ to public health.
Later, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned the use of potassium bromate as an additive in food products.
Potassium bromate is known to be a category 2B carcinogen and is already banned in Britain, the European Union, Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka, among other countries.