Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department has imposed a ban on the sale of vadam prepared using excessive colour additives, following concerns over consumer safety.
Officials said inspections found that vadam and coloured appalam sold in shops, markets and exhibitions—often marketed to attract children—contained hazardous chemical colourants.
The department advised the public to avoid buying coloured appalam for children. Instead, families were urged to choose quality appalam made in the traditional way using urad dal and rice.
Food Safety officials warned that consumption of such products could lead to allergies, kidney-related issues and even cancer, and may also cause attention-related problems in children. They cautioned that the risk could be life-threatening in some cases.
