India’s renowned conglomerate, Tata was dragged into a controversial matter recently. The chairman of Godhum Grains and Farm Products, Shiv Shankar Gupta, accused Tata Salt of adding alarming levels of cyanides in their product. He even termed their product as ‘poisonous’.
However, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) came into role and refuted such allegations. They clarified that ferrocyanides are authorised as food additives in food-grade salts. These act as anti-caking agents to prevent powdered ingredients from forming into lumps, but cyanide levels must be within the permitted limit.
Without waiting for confirmation from the FSSAI, it was all over social media and consumers were highly perplexed with such information. To reach out to them, the FSSAI published their reports on the official Twitter account. This helped to clear the air.
Recent reports suggest that some salt brands in India contain high levels of potassium ferrocyanide which is toxic.While it's true that it is used in salt (as an anti-caking agent), the answer to it being toxic, is No!Read the truth behind this hoax at https://t.co/6ezZNqNbqy
— FSSAI (@fssaiindia) July 3, 2019
The usage of ferrocyanides in food-grade salts is permitted in various other countries as well, including China, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
The European Food Safety Authority Panel re-evaluated this entire case and confirmed that ferrocyanides are not harmful as long as the level is within the permitted limit. Along with them, the American West Analytical Laboratories also tested the product and found that the content of ferrocyanide in the Indian food-grade salt is way below the authorised limit.
With such scientific facts and evidence, it can be safely claimed that Tata Salt has made no errors in their manufacturing procedure, and their product is entirely healthy to consume.
This was not the first time when fake news almost ruined the reputation of a renowned brand. Earlier, Ashirvaad Ata, Cadbury and Kalyan Jewellers also became victims of such false information.
This growing fake news is becoming a menace for several companies worldwide. Individuals or organisations responsible for such actions do not realise how these can lead to severe consequences.