Varai poisoning: Ten days later, state FDA still clueless

Ten days after 166 people fell ill after consuming rice and bhakri made from varai (type of cereal) flour, the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) continues to be clueless about the ingredient mixed in the flour that actually caused the food poisoning.

Assistant commissioner of FDA Chandrakant Salunkhe told DNA that the FDA team had collected samples of the flour and sent it to the State Public Health Laboratory (SPHL) for testing, but had not yet received any report of the analysis.

“The team at SPHL has told us that they are conducting every possible test to check the toxicity, but they have not been able to pinpoint any reason yet. They say that this is the first such incident where grain has caused food poisoning to such a mass extent and this kind of toxicity was not known to them earlier,’’ Salunkhe said.

A team of more than 30 people works at the SPHL and a majority of them are involved in cracking this case as they are under pressure from the FDA. A source at SPHL said they have almost ruled out any kind of bacterial or chemical toxicity and are now trying to know if pesticides or fungal infection in crops could have led to this incident.

“The lab intimated that it would be able to inform us within a week. Only then, will we be able to tell which brand of varai caused poisoning and take the necessary action,’’ Salunkhe said.