A viral social media video has once again brought food adulteration fears to the forefront, this time involving a popular everyday snack: roasted chana. The clip, shared on Instagram by content creator @experimentalbhaiya and now viewed over 20 million times, alleges that some sellers are illegally mixing an industrial yellow dye into chana to make it appear brighter, crispier, and more appealing. The issue has since triggered widespread concern among consumers, food safety advocates, and public officials, highlighting a worrying pattern of hazardous chemicals being used to enhance the appearance of everyday ingredients.
Social Media Video Claims Use Of Unsafe Colour In Roasted Chana
According to the viral Instagram video, an industrial colouring agent known as Auramine O is allegedly being used while packaging roasted chana. The dye gives the snack a striking yellow hue and an artificially crisp texture that is difficult to achieve when roasting unadulterated chana at home. The content creator claims that this makes the chana look more attractive and snackable.
Health Concerns Linked To Auramine O Consumption
Auramine O is not a permitted food additive in India and is primarily used in industries such as textile and leather processing.
A 2025 research article published in the Journal of Environmental Sciences notes that chronic exposure to such dyes may pose severe health risks. Long-term ingestion of Auramine O has been associated with an increased chance of several cancers, including bladder and lymphatic tumours.
Prolonged exposure is also linked to liver and brain damage, reproductive toxicity, and neurotoxic effects that suppress the central nervous system (Martelli et al., 1998). These findings underline the urgent need for strict monitoring and regulation of food dye adulteration to protect public health.
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MP Priyanka Chaturvedi Writes To Health Minister And Food Processing Minister
The circulating reports also caught the attention of Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who called the claims "extremely distressing" in a X post shared on November 24. She wrote that the alleged use of a carcinogenic industrial dye in food products represents not only a serious violation of food safety norms but also a failure of regulatory oversight.
In a formal letter addressed to the Health Minister and the Food Processing Minister, Chaturvedi noted that Auramine is prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and classified as a potential carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO). She expressed concern over weak market surveillance, inadequate routine testing, delayed public warnings, and poor enforcement by regulators, including the FSSAI.
Suggested Measures
MP Priyanka Chaturvedi urged the government to issue a national health alert, conduct nationwide testing of roasted chana and similar products, strengthen inspections, and take punitive action such as licence cancellation, fines, and imprisonment for violators. The MP called for an internal audit of FSSAI protocols to identify systemic lapses that have allowed such practices to persist.
Also Read: How To Check If Your Chana Is Pure: 7 Easy Home Tests That Work
Food Safety Concerns Around Roasted Chana Adulteration
The episode has reignited ongoing debates around adulteration and the need for stronger consumer protection mechanisms in India. With food-related contamination issues already under scrutiny following other recent incidents, the alleged use of Auramine O in a widely consumed snack has sparked calls for urgent corrective action from both policymakers and the public.
