Karnataka bottled water, green peas found largely unsafe

As many as 95 samples unsafe while 88 samples were substandard out of analysed 255 bottled water samples drawn from the market. The analysis found 72 bottled water safe for consumption.

Disclosing this to the media persons in Bengaluru, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao 95 bottled water samples failed microbiological or chemical tests and consumption of water from unsafe water bottles will have implications on health. Rao said the department officials have taken food safety “seriously.”

After the survey samples revealed 95 samples as unsafe, the Minister assured to initiate action against bottle manufacturers once legal samples are drawn and stated most of the bottled water sold in the market are manufactured locally.

The Minister asked people to be aware of unsafe bottled water sold in the market and in reply to a query, he said “Whether bottled water manufacturers are local or national, suitable action will be initiated against them.”

Dinesh Gundu Rao drew the attention to the sale of green peas using artificial colouring agents and stated 69 samples of green peas sold in the market out of the 215 samples tested in labs.

The Minister assured to educate people/ manufacturers on harmful effects of consumption of artificial coloured green peas and said to issue advisory to manufacturers of green peas not to use artificial coloured green peas or else officials will initiate action against them. The Minister felt “Things should be improved at the source (manufacturing units).”

Out of 49 samples of ghee subjected for lab tests, 6 samples were declared unsafe while 32 paneer samples only two samples were found to be “unsafe.”