'Chocolate syringes' crop up in Chennai shops, raise food safety concerns
These syringes have chocolate syrup filled inside them and are used to attract children. They are also known as 'choco dose' and are said to be unhealthy.
Authorities seized 31 boxes of chocolate-filled syringes that did not have the mandatory FSSAI licence from several shops in Chennai city on Thursday.
Based on an alert received from the Sembium police, food safety officials conducted a search in shops in Washermanpet and Saidapet and seized the chocolate syringes.
These syringes have chocolate syrup filled inside them and are used to attract children. They are also known as ‘choco dose’ and are said to be unhealthy.
The officials have sent the samples of “chocolate syringes” to a laboratory for further analysis.
“We do not know the quality of the chocolate and the ingredients used. We also don’t know what syringes have been used to pack these chocolates,” food safety officer Dr P Satheesh Kumar was quoted as saying by The Federal.
“Traders have been booked for selling products that are not approved by the food safety authority. The lab report will screen for chemicals and drugs used in the chocolate. If the lab finds the product unfit for human consumption, we will register criminal cases against the traders,” he said.
Last year too, food safety officials had seized illegal chocolate syringes from a number of shops in Vellore.
