Docs highlight health risks of food wrapped in newspaper sheets

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) advisory passed on December 6, 2016, prohibits the use of newspapers to wrap food items, as it can have serious health hazards. However, a large section of shopkeepers failed to adhere to the food safety and standards and continue to use it to pack food.

As per the mandatory provisions under the draft Food Products Standards (Packaging) Regulations, 2017, by FSSAI, “Printed surface of packaging material shall not come in contact with food products, and newspapers and any such material shall not beused for storing and wrapping of food.”

“I have been using newspapers to wrap bajji, samosa and other snacks since I opened my shop few years ago. Customers don’t object to being served in newspapers,” said Raghu, owner of a snacks stall in Koyambedu.

Oncologist Anitha Ramesh said children were more prone to suffer from chemicals from the ink as they get absorbed from the gut and cause DNA damage. The presence of colours, pigments, binders, additives and preservatives in the ink is found to have cancerous effects, which can be particularly harmful for children, said experts.

“The inks and pigments used in newspapers contain lead. Being exposed to it can not only affect the development of the brain and nervous system but also cause high blood pressure and damage to kidney. Mostly oily food items easily absorb the chemicals in the ink. Those chemicals are carcinogenic and can lead to serious health problems,” said food safety expert and consultant S Chander.

When contacted, Food Safety Commissioner P Amudha said that the notification restricting the use of food in newspaper was sent to all the eateries in the State and measures were being taken to stop the practice. “As part of the regular inspection, we have given notices to all the eateries who do not abide by the regulations. If they fail to follow the regulations, we will register a case against them,” she said.