Kerala shows the way, naturally
Starting 1st Jan 2015, jalebis and laddoos in Kerala will have a pale, probably unpalatable looking colour. They may look unpalatable but in reality, they could probably be the best in terms of health consciousness. The new year marks the dawn of a new era of baking and cooking in Kerala – no use of artificial sweeteners.
Yes, none of the sweet shops, the bakers and savoury makers, especially banana chip makers will use artificial colours. Cakes and sweets will have only their natural colours or maybe a natural ingredient like saffron or beet root or even carrot could add some colour. Banana chips will no longer look golden or that rich unbelievable hue of yellow.
This may sound like a bad thing to do but actually, it is in the best interest of all. There are laws in our country against use of artificial colours, yet neither did one known about it nor did anyone follow the law. A survey was conducted to check usage of these artificial colours and it was found that West Bengal and UP showed maximum use of prohibited colours while Bihar, Orissa, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Rajasthan showed moderate use of non-permitted colours. The least use was in Assam. Maximum exposure to permitted colours was from commodities such as beverages, bakery products, mouth fresheners, sugar toys and ice cream/ice candy.
It is heartening to note that at least one state is taking this lead; its small thing but it is these small details which will make the entire picture grand. Little wonder that the state has 100% literacy in India.