A video of a boy screaming in pain after consuming a ‘smoking’ biscuit that went viral has led to the Food Safety department issuing an order on the use of liquid nitrogen.
On Thursday, the department instructed the Designated Officers and Food Safety Officers “to take enforcement action as per Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 against any Food Business Operator who is using liquid nitrogen for direct consumption along with food items like biscuit, ice creams, wafer biscuits, etc. The liquid nitrogen should be fully evaporated from the food or drinks before serving,” as per the order .
Smoking biscuits are dangerous, say food safety officers. Six months ago, a vendor in a fair in Tiruchi, was arrested for offering ‘smoking’ biscuits. In Chennai’s trade fair too, there was one such stall for which action was taken against the vendor.
P. Satheesh Kumar, Designated Officer, Food Safety Department, Chennai, said smoking biscuits were sold in Chennai too, but a ban had since been imposed.
Vendors infuse food (biscuits usually) with liquid nitrogen which produces smoke when it vapourises. The boiling point of liquid nitrogen is around –196 degrees C. An ice cream one consumes is around 0 to –4 degrees C.
“Liquid nitrogen can scorch the organ or part of the body it contacts, making it appear like frost bites. It can damage the lips, tongue, throat, lungs, and stomach. It may cause lesions or burn tissues. If it reaches the stomach, the organ could get perforated. In the lungs, it could produce CO2 and the person could become unconscious. It could even prove fatal,” Dr. Satheesh explained. He said liquid nitrogen could be purchased for industrial purposes and vendors could have access to it. “It is used only for freezing, chilling and packing food. It will help to keep the food fresh for several months,” he added, further.
Only trained doctors are permitted to handle liquid nitrogen. R. Rajaraman, former head of surgical oncology at the Government Royapettah Hospital here, said liquid nitrogen is used to freeze tumours. “The cells are subjected to liquid nitrogen so that they freeze and then the cells die,” he explained.
R. Ramesh Babu, Designated Officer, Food Safety department in Tiruchi, said a vendor who sold such confectionary was arrested after a consumer reportedly fell ill. “We closed the stall and immediately arrested the vendor for endangering the health of the consumer. Since then, we have not received reports of liquid nitrogen being used in food preparation in our district,” he said.
At weddings and social gatherings in Tiruchi, pop-up stalls offering ‘smoking’ panipuri and paan (betel leaf) have found their way in, but in regular eateries they are rare to find in the region, said P. Venkatesh, a local online culinary content creator, who runs the ‘Vlog Thamila’ website.
“I tried a ‘smoking panipuri’ a few months ago at a stall in Palakkarai, but not many restaurants are offering it these days. The trend seems to have shifted to bigger cities in recent times,” he remarked.
In Thoothukudi, Food Safety Officer S. Mariappan, issued a ban order on the use of liquid nitrogen except for purposes of storing food. The department has issued a detailed note on how liquid nitrogen can be used to store various food items, including curd, fruits and fruit juices, and beverages.
(With input from Nahla Nainar in Tiruchi)
