Cotton candy banned in Puducherry. Here's the reason why

The colorful, melt-in-your-mouth cotton candy, a favorite among most kids, has been banned in Puducherry. The state government has prohibited this iconic snack after discovering toxic materials in the confection.

Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan announced the ban recently. In an Instagram post, the governor urged people not to buy cotton candy for kids, as it contains toxic chemicals.

"Don't buy chemically-treated cotton candy for children as it affects their health," Soundararajan wrote in the Instagram post, accompanied by a video.


According to Soundararajan, food safety officials have found Rhodamine-B, a toxic substance, in cotton candy samples. She also urged people not to give food items laced with color additives to children.

Meanwhile, Puducherry officials have been instructed to inspect shops selling cotton candies. If toxic material is found in the cotton candy samples, the shop will be seized, said the Governor.

Recently, officials in Chennai also found synthetic dyes in cotton candy samples. Health officials had even warned about colors in other snacks, including spring potatoes, fried fish, and bhajjis.

What is Rhodamine-B?
According to studies (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7376446/), Rhodamine-B causes various health problems such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cancer, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver dysfunction, hormonal imbalance, premature birth, decreased immunity, nervous system development disorders, mental health problems, and learning disabilities/cognitive dysfunction.