Cancer causing agents found in black forest and velvet cakes, warning issued

BENGALURU: Reports found cancer-causing ingredients in 12 cake samples, including popular brands. Following this, the Food Safety and Quality Department of Karnataka issued a warning to the public. Samples were collected from bakeries in Bengaluru and subjected to testing.

As part of the inspection, 235 cake samples including popular brands were collected from bakeries. Of these, 223 were found to be safe during testing. Dangerous agents were found in the remaining 12. The authorities said the problem is the substance added for color.

Problematic artificial colors are added to popular cake varieties such as red velvet and black forest. Many cakes were sold without a warning that artificial colors had been added. The food safety authorities stated that all this cannot be accepted in any way. Bakeries have been directed to strictly follow safety norms.

The Karnataka government had months ago banned the use of artificial food colors, including Rhodamine-B added in Cotton Candy and Gopi Manchurian, as they were found to cause serious health issues. People violating law have been warned that they will be jailed for seven years and fined up to Rs 10 lakh.