Cakes with high sorbate level being sold

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Commissionerate of Food Safety has decided to tighten its noose on bakeries in the district following the detection of high levels of sorbic acid in bakery goods, which is widely used by bakers to extend the shelf life of the product. As part of a special drive carried out by the food safety authorities in the wake of Christmas and New Year, several samples were collected from the bakeries and other eateries. The food safety authorities had issued notices to around 98 violators and had collected Rs 69,000 in  fine. As many as 92 statutory samples and 578 surveillance samples were collected as part of the drive.

Assistant Food Safety Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram, Alex K Issac said that the sorbic acid levels were high in baked items, especially cakes. “We decided to carry out the drive because the demand for baked goods is high during this time of the year. We had collected around 71 samples of cake and many of them had  sorbate beyond permissible levels,” he said. The permissible level of sorbate is 1,000 1gm and anything beyond this level is considered unsafe. 

As per the Food Safety Act, violators will face up to six months imprisonment and have to pay a fine up to I5 lakh based on the severity of the offence. “We will be collecting more statutory samples in the coming days to initiate action against the offenders,” he said. District president of Bakery Association Kerala Vinu Balan said that people prefer bakeries for buying cakes. “We don’t use any preservatives as the cakes are being sold the same day. Several branded companies manufacturing cakes use sorbate for more shelf life,” said Vinu. 

The special drive conducted by the officials covered eateries, supermarkets and bakeries. “We collected fish samples too. Around 48 inspections were held and 18 fish samples were collected. We have not found the presence of formalin and ammonia in any fish samples in the past six months. Eateries are maintaining a good standard of hygiene due to the pandemic threat,” added Alex.

What is sorbic acid/sorbate ?
Sorbates are antimicrobial agents capable of retarding or preventing the growth of microorganisms such as yeast, bacteria and moulds primarily in foods and beverages.