Thyroid disorder and cancer causing chemical may be present in breads available in India, according to a study conducted by the non-profit Centre for Science and Environment or CSE.The Union health ministry has ordered a probe into the matter.
Products of five popular multinational fast-food outlets - KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Subway, McDonald's and Slice of Italy - were also found to contain high levels of the chemicals, CSE added.
"Just two slices of bread every day is enough to put us at a higher risk of thyroid and cancer," said Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director, CSE.
For the study, 38 samples were picked from outlets in Delhi and tested them for Potassium Bromate and Potassium Iodate. "More than 84% samples came out positive," said Mr Bhushan. White bread contained a higher level of chemicals compared to multi-grain breads.
Potassium Bromate, considered carcinogenic, and Potassium Iodate were used to treat flour meant for baking have been banned in more than 40 countries, that includes China and Sri Lanka, following the warnings from World Health Organisation. But India has not banned these chemicals yet.
Reacting to the CSE report, Health Minister JP Nadda said, "I have told my officials to report to me on an urgent basis. There is no need to panic. Very soon we will come out with the(probe) report."
On behalf of the bread industry, the All India Bread Manufacturers Association gave a statement, saying it was yet to see the CSE report. But it added that "Food safety and Standards Authority of India's regulations permit the use of Potassium Bromate and/or Potassium Iodate at 50 ppm max for bread and at 20 ppm max for Bakery purpose".
The same additive, the statement read, "is considered safe and is widely used in advanced countries like the US ".
Jubilant FoodWorks, which runs the Domino's franchise in India, issued a statement, "The flour used by us is not treated with Potassium Bromate/Potassium Iodate." Britannia and Slice Of Italy too, denied the use of the chemicals.
The CSE study showed that higher levels of the two chemicals were found in sandwich bread, pav, bun and white bread.
According to the study, the products of Harvest Gold, Britannia and Perfect Bread had higher levels of the chemicals.
For a detailed study: https://cseindia.org/content/what%E2%80%99s-our-bread
