Zee Media Bureau/Salome Phelamei
Controversies do not just happen in politics. It happens in the food world too – from food safety scares to the unhygienic content or manner in which they are prepared.
Here are some of the most shocking controversial food items that shocked India in 2015:
Maggi noodles: India's favourite instant noodle brand 'Maggi' was in the spotlight due to allegations of lead content and monosodium glutamate (MSG). Although MSG - popularly known as ajinomoto - which is added to food to give it flavour, is considered safe, it came under scanner after unconfirmed reports of the 'Chinese restaurant syndrome', which people claimed occured after eating Chinese food. MSG can cause glutamate levels to spike in blood, resulting in brain problems.
KFC chicken: US fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken, also popularly known as KFC, came under fire after a US citizen claimed on social media that he was served fried rat instead of chicken at a California outlet of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Obviously, KFC brand managers went into a tizzy and damage control mode. Fortunately for them, an independent laboratory test proved that the meat served was actually poultry. Though the incident eventually turned out to be hoax, it did undoubtedly turn out to be one of the biggest food controversies of the year, thanks to the immense social media buzz it generated.
Mother Dairy milk: Milk and milk products major Mother Dairy created shock and sensation among the public after food safety and drug administration (FSDA) in Agra detected presence of detergent in its milk samples. However, Mother Dairy denied the charge that their product was sudstandard.
Nestle's Cerelac: Nestle came under scanner of Food Safety and Drug Administration Department in Tamil Nadu after live worms were found in a company's Cerelac baby food packet in Coimbatore.
Tropicana juice: Not sure how many of us came across this shocking news! A man posted a horrifying picture on Facebook. The man claimed that he found a black fungus-like substance in the tetra pack of delicious Tropicana mixed fruit juice.
