Appalams, papadam or papads are a popular snack in India, often consumed in the evening or paired with a meal. The market is full of many papad and fryums options, and the colourful ones are likely to attract more consumers, especially children. However, the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department has warned against consuming artificially coloured crispy appalams (papads) in a recent social media post.
The department explained that regular consumption of such harmful products could lead to digestive disorders, kidney damage and increase the risk of cancer. The warning follows the confiscation of about 22 tonnes of artificially coloured papad and fryums stored illegally at a warehouse in Madurai earlier this year, reported PTI.
"There is a ban on using any artificial colouring agents on papad and related food products as consuming them could pose a risk of cancer in the long run," an official said, quoted PTI.
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"Are you eating the colourful appalams you bought just because they looked attractive? The chemicals contained in them could lead to problems ranging from digestive issues to cancer," the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department said. Such artificially coloured products can also make children develop allergies due to the presence of synthetic colouring agents.
"Switch to healthy options - choose the local rice and urad dal appalams," the department said, posting a contrasting picture of the colourful appalams and white-coloured rice appalams on its social media platform.
Make Moong And Urad Dal Papad At Home
Here we have an easy recipe for dal papad made with moong dal and urad dal. Try this recipe, and you'll never buy papad from the market again.