Can cause cancer and liver disease; Manufacture and sale of cotton candy banned

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has banned the manufacture and sale of cotton candy. This was announced by Health Minister Subramanian today. The ban follows the confirmation of the presence of a cancer-causing chemical in cotton candy. The Food Safety Commissioner has directed officials to take strict action against violators.

There was a huge controversy in Tamil Nadu over the issue for a few days. This drastic decision was taken as a result of this. The union territory of Puducherry had earlier banned cotton candy citing similar reasons. Samples of colored cotton candy were tested at a government laboratory near Chennai and found to contain 'rhodomine B', a chemical dye used to color cloth.

According to the Food Safety Act, rhodomine B is harmful to humans. Experts have found that it can lead to liver disease and cancer for those who eat it regularly. It is reported that not only cotton candy, but many candies and sweets contain rhodomine B in lab tests.