Overview
- The Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department posted a public advisory on Thursday, July 16, urging people not to buy or give brightly coloured appalams (papads) to children and discouraging their sale at markets, tourist spots and exhibitions.
- Officials said regular consumption of artificially coloured papads and similar fried snacks can cause digestive problems, allergies, reduced concentration in children, kidney damage and an increased long-term risk of cancer.
- The department reiterated that using artificial colouring in papad products is banned and pointed to an earlier enforcement action that seized about 22 tonnes of coloured papads and fryums from a Madurai warehouse this year.
- Consumers were advised to choose traditionally made appalams such as those from rice, urad dal or black gram, and officials signalled ongoing enforcement and public warnings as the immediate response.
- Expect follow-up steps to include more inspections and lab testing of coloured snack samples, and parents should check ingredient labels and avoid brightly dyed wafers to reduce children's exposure to unapproved synthetic dyes.