Red Alert! Cancer-Causing Substances Detected In Cakes

Bengaluru: Do you have a sweet tooth? Think twice before gorging on a cake next time as it can cause cancer.

Yes, you read it right.

Recent quality checks carried out by Karnataka Food Safety and Quality Department at Bengaluru bakeries have brought to light that most cakes contain carcinogenic substances.

Officials of the Food Safety & Quality Department collected 235 samples of cakes from different outlets in the city to carry out quality tests.

Alarmingly, 12 of the 235 samples were found to contain ingredients which can cause cancer.

Confirming the development, a senior government official told Hindustan Times, “We’ve detected harmful, cancer-causing substances in some of the cake samples tested.”

“12 cakes were found to contain artificial colours like Allura Red, Sunset Yellow FCF, Ponceau 4R, Tartrazine, and Carmoisine. These chemicals, often used to enhance the visual appeal of cakes such as red velvet and black forest, have been linked to cancer and other serious health risks. Overuse of these additives could also have negative impacts on mental and physical health,” Karnataka Food Safety and Quality Department revealed.

Following the worrying revelation, Food Safety Commissioner Srinivas K warned bakeries across the state to avoid using potentially harmful chemicals in their products or face strict punishment.

State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao also urged bakeries to comply with food safety and quality standards, or else strict action will be taken against them.

“The use of such additives is prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products, Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, as they pose serious health risks to consumers,” said Gundu Rao.