High levels of artificial sweetener found in Patiala bakery’s cake samples

Patiala health officials on Monday flagged the high level of artificial sweetener, saccharine, in two of the four cake samples collected from a Patiala bakery, after lab tests.

According to health officials, saccharine is a widely used artificial sweetener.

District health officer Dr Vijay said that a total of four samples were collected from the bakery. The samples were sent to the state lab on April 1.

“Two samples have been found sub-standard due to high levels of saccharine in various food products,” he said.

It is the same bakery that had supplied cake for the birthday celebrations of the 10-year-old girl, who died allegedly after consuming it on March 25. Her family was also taken ill, but recovered.

To be sure, these samples are not of the cake the girl and her family members consumed but were additional samples picked by the health officials from the bakery.

An FIR against the bakery was lodged on March 28, after which the health team had collected samples on March 31. A health department official, pleading anonymity, clarified that none of the four samples were of the cake consumed by the girl.

“A sample of the leftover cake, eaten by the girl, has also been sent to the same lab, and its report is awaited,” he said.

Food safety officer Jaswinder Singh said that the department would take action against the bakery owner regarding the two substandard samples as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. “A case would be filed in the court of the additional deputy commissioner,” he added.