Bread manufacturers to stop using poisonous chemicals

The Centre for Science and Environment had claimed that the bread samples of top brands in Delhi contained cancer-causing chemicals -- potassium bromate and potassium iodate.

Welcoming bread makers' decision to stop using controversial chemicals in their products, food regulator FSSAI on Thursday said it will remove all apprehensions and show that bread manufacturers are committed to public health.

The All India Bread Manufacturers Association (AIBMA), which represents over 90 organised bread manufacturers such as Harvest Gold and Britannia has announced that they will stop using potassium bromate and potassium iodate voluntarily from tonight itself.

"... this decision will remove all apprehensions in public mind that have arisen with the findings of the CSE report. It shows that the bread manufacturers are responsible food businesses committed to public health and food safety," Pawan Agarwal, CEO, Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said.

On May 23, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), while releasing a study had claimed that the bread samples of top brands in Delhi contained cancer-causing chemicals -- potassium bromate and potassium iodate.

While appreciating that the CSE highlighted issue relating to use of potassium bromate in bread, Agarwal pointed that removal of potassium bromate has already been decided by the food authority based on the report of scientific panel.

"It would have helped if the CSE had shared the findings of its reports with the FSSAI so that a necessary panic among public at large could have been avoided," he added.