A viral video where a homeopathic practitioner claims that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US permits the presence of cockroaches in chocolates, is misleading as it exaggerates the FDA's directive on the presence of insect impurities in chocolates.
In the video, Dr. Sarala Khader - a homeopathic practitioner from Mysuru, Karnataka, further claims that 100 grams of chocolate may possess up to 4 grams of various parts of cockroaches in chocolates, which is equivalent to around 16 cockroaches.
Dr. Khader posts videos about the effects of various food products on health in both Telugu and English on a YouTube channel called Suman TV Organic Foods
The video has three misleading claims:
1. FDA is a global authority for making decisions on food products and food standards
2. FDA permits up to 4% of cockroaches in chocolates
3. A 100g bar of chocolate will have around 4g of cockroach parts which is equivalent to around 16 cockroach parts
The video and the claim has actively been shared on Facebook in India triggering panic among Internet users after garnering a high amount of social engagement.
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The video and the claim is even being shared on Twitter with a large number of Twitter users retweeting, liking and resharing it.
Video especially for those ppl who love Chocolates
— डॉ-दत्त (@Dr_Dutt_M) February 17, 2020
FDA permit 4% of Cockroaches in 100 gm of Chocolate. Watch this video
👎👎👎👎😲😲🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/GdN2tuu5Sd
BOOM also received the video on its WhatsApp helpline requesting to verify its authenticity.
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Fact Check
BOOM found that Dr. Sarala Khader has made the same claims in Telugu.
The three claims by Dr. Khader exaggerate existing facts related to how decision making bodies arrive at food safety standards as well as impurities in chocolates.
The Food and Drug Administration, although a powerful authority for decisions surrounding food standards, can only wield influence in the US.
The global authority is called the Food And Agricultural Organization which uses the Codex Alimentarius for setting global food standards.
In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the governing body and the standards that the body agrees upon are applied across the country. The FSSAI has discouraged and banned the presence of insects/ cockroaches in chocolates.
The FSSAI has issued a statement saying that insects and rodents are not permitted in chocolates in India.
Regulation 2.7.4 of FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011 delineates quality standards for chocolate and its various types. Sub-regulation 3 of this 2.7.4 for chocolate standards clearly specifies that chocolate should be free of rancidity or off odour, insect and fungus infestation, filth, adulterants and any harmful or injurious matter.
FDA permits upto 4% of cockroaches in chocolates?
Dr.Khader goes onto state that FDA allows around 4% of cockroaches in chocolates.
Many US based websites such as CNBC News, ABC News, and CBS News have discussed FDA's guidelines stating that one can find eight parts of cockroaches in chocolates.
The guidelines, however, mention insects other than rodents and do not specifically mention cockroaches as the insects. The guidelines discuss the permissible limits of insect filth in chocolates if manufacturers overlook the safety standards after the rigorous processing that is conducted to eliminate any sort of adulteration or insect infestation. These are just preautionary measures and do not indicate that all chocolates will be adulterated with insect and rodent filth.
Chocolate Processing and Extraction
Chocolates are extracted from the Cacao tree which is like any other plant. The Cacao plant undergoes many processes through which insects and other contaminants can be weeded off from the bean. The pods from the tree are fermented through aerobic and anaerobic respiration which kills some of the insects. The germ within the bean dies because of the alcohol, heat, and acetic acid. The bean is further sun-dried, roasted, and sorted which further removes any infestation. Later, it is winnowed, ground and blended and tempered.
At each step, the chocolate is sorted for any insect parts. Just like vegetables and other grains are cleaned and sorted, chocolate needs to be sorted and cleaned too. The FDA has stated that if any insect is not eliminated through these procedures, there is a rare possibility of certain permissible limits of insects in the chocolate
100g of chocolates have 4g of cockroach?
Dr. Khader also mentions that in every bar of chocolate, one will find around 4g of cockroach parts or parts of 16 cockroaches. As mentioned above, the process of preparing chocolates has many mechanisms to weed any insects from the plant.
In India, FSSAI, the governing body does not permit any amount of infestations or rodents.
The FSSAI has also made a video debunking the claim that cockroaches are present in chocolates.
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