A health official has revealed that elevated levels of a synthetic sweetener were detected in cake samples obtained from a bakery situated in Patiala, Punjab.
This particular bakery had supplied a birthday cake that tragically resulted in the death of a 10-year-old girl who consumed it.
The District Health Officer, Dr. Vijay Jindal has disclosed that four cake samples were collected from the bakery for analysis.
It was found that out of four samples, two were found to contain excessive amounts of saccharin, an artificial sweetener widely used as a substitute for sugar.
Although saccharin is generally considered safe, consuming it in large quantities can lead to digestive discomfort.
The investigation into the cake samples comes nearly a month after the unfortunate demise of the 10-year-old girl from Patiala, suspected to be caused by food poisoning after consuming her birthday cake.
According to the girl’s family, both she and her sister fell ill the night they celebrated her birthday and ate the cake, which had been ordered online.
Jindal clarified that the forensic report on the specific cake consumed by the girl and her sister is still pending.
However, the analysis of other samples obtained from the bakery responsible for making the cake indicated the presence of significant levels of synthetic sweeteners.
These samples were procured during a raid conducted at the bakery after the girl’s death.
Dr. Jindal further stated that the court would be duly informed about the findings from the cake samples, and appropriate action would be taken against the bakery.
After the incident, Manvi’s family filed a complaint, leading to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR).
