MUMBAI: Ice meant to be used strictly for industrial purposes would, henceforth, be marked in blue colour in Maharashtra. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the state government has directed the manufacturers to use the blue colour to differentiate industrial ice from the edible ice.
A gazette notification in this regard has been issued by the department of Food and Civil Supplies.
“The step was taken after it came to our notice that as much as 70 per cent of the edible ice used by the food vendors is contaminated,” a senior FDA official told the New Indian Express.
Edible ice is considered as food under the Act and there are stringent provisions regarding quality of water for manufacturing of such ice. While, for manufacturing of industrial ice, that is used in preserving medicines, in cement factories and even for preservation of dead bodies, quality considerations for water are not that strict making it cheaper in price. Roadside vendors were found to have been buying such industrial ice at lower price and using it in beverages.
All stakeholders were consulted in order to come up with a solution to address the issue after which the administration came up with the idea of creating a visual differentiation between the edible and non-edible ice. Accordingly use of blue colour has been made mandatory for manufacturing industrial purposes (non-edible) ice, whereas the edible ice should look crystal clear.
The visual differentiation between the edible and non-edible ice is expected to curb the practice of using industrial ice in place of edible ice.
Maharashtra is the first state to bring in such a differentiation.
Industrial ice manufacturers have been directed to use Indigo Carmine or Brilliant Blue FCF up to 10 parts per million (ppm). Thus, those using contaminated ice would now be easily identifiable and necessary action would be taken against the offenders, the notification has said.
The visual difference would help common man as well as the FDA officials to identify the kind of ice being added to beverages and initiate action wherever needed, said the officer.