J&K Govt Warns Against Banned Synthetic Food Colours in Wazwan, Ready-to-Eat Dishes; Violators to Face ₹3 Lakh Fine – Alfaaz – The Words

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has issued a public notice cautioning against the use of prohibited synthetic food colours in prepared and ready-to-eat items, including Wazwan dishes, biryani, kebabs, pickles, chicken tikka, and other meat-based preparations, warning that violators face imprisonment and heavy fines.

Citing recent analytical reports from the National Food Laboratory, Ghaziabad, the notice revealed that “certain food samples of prepared food viz. Kabab, Biryani, Pickles, and Chicken Tikka have been found unsafe due to the presence of synthetic food colours like Carmoisine, Tartrazine, and Erythrosine.”

Quoting the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, the notice stated, “Use of synthetic food colours is prohibited in prepared food items such as Wazwan, Biryani, Pickles, and other meat-based preparations (ready-to-eat). The presence of such prohibited synthetic colours poses a serious risk to public health.”

It further warned that, under Section 59 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, violations are punishable with imprisonment for up to three months and fines extending to ₹3,00,000.

The advisory directed all Food Business Operators (FBOs) involved in the manufacture, preparation, processing, sale, or service of ready-to-eat items, especially meat-based products, to “strictly avoid the use of synthetic food colours in any prepared food items.”