Center for Science and Environment found in a study that many popular food makers especially breakfast products including bread, pav, bun and pizza bases use possible carcinogens to make the food, found in a study based in the city.

CSE revealed on Monday, popular bread makers use potassium bromate and potassium iodate for treating flour, substances which are banned across the European union in 1990s and later Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Nigeria, Peru and Columbia. The product got banned in India in 1999.

The International Agency For Research and Cancer (IARC) classified potassium bromate as possibly carcinogenic.

The samples which are examined by CSE found that popular brands including Britannia, Harvest Gold and Perfect Bread were found with highest levels of carcinogenic substances.

The potassium bromate/iodate concentration in Britannia's white bread measured 17.12 parts per million (PPM), 2.58 ppm in its whole wheat bread, 5.48 ppm in its brown bread, 15.01 ppm in its pav, 16.74 in its fruit bun. The levels in Harvest Gold's white bread were 17.32 ppm, its brown bread were 5.48 ppm. Perfect Bread's white bread had 15.01 ppm and its brown bread 8.16 ppm.

Study has shown that only Perfect Bread has listed potassium bromate as the ingredient and companies like Britannia denies the use of it in their products.

In a statement Britannia said, “We does not use Potassium Bromate or Iodate as an ingredient in any of its bread recipes. All Britannia Breads products are in 100 per cent compliance to the existing food safety regulations as stipulated by FSSAI”

“FSSAI stipulates usage of all Food Additives in Food Products within permissible limits. For potassium Bromate/Iodate FSSAI stipulates the permissible limit as 50 ppm max (On flour mass basis),” the statement further added.

The statement showed that according to Britannia, they don’t use the product at all and 50 ppm is the limit for potassium bromate/iodate set by the Food, Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Due to these loopholes CSE has suggested FSSAI to ban the potassium bromate/iodate altogether.

All the fast food joints such as KFC, McDonald’s, Subway are under the scrutiny now, though KFC made it clear that, “We do not use flour treated with Potassium Bromate or Potassium Iodate to manufacture our products.”

FSSAI is still silent on the whole controversy.

By Prajakt K.