When you think of food poisoning and baking products, you probably think of spoiled milk, rotten or raw eggs, and similar animal products. What you don’t think about is buckwheat flour, which is exactly what caused 400 people to get food poisoning in Delhi, India.
If you’re an experienced baker, you may be rethinking your ingredient list after reading this fact. However, it’s generally believed that this specific buckwheat flour — a popular ingredient in India especially during religious festivals — was adulterated.
In other words, another ingredient was added to the mix to make the buckwheat flour thicker and more plentiful for the sake of profit. As a result, 400 people got diarrhea and stomach cramps and went to consult medical professionals.
Worst of all, this is not the first time that such a thing has occurred.
Namely, there were mass food poisonings for the same reason in 2011 and 2020 as well. Local authorities are currently investigating the mill that the buckwheat flour came from so that they can establish the exact source of the food poisoning.
Also, if you use buckwheat flour as part of your gluten-free diet, fear not! The popular ingredient is completely safe as the problem is related to a specific mill in India. Even if you’re using a gluten-free meal delivery service, it’s highly unlikely that they’re using adulterated and impure buckwheat flour.
Exactly what ingredient was added to this particular batch of buckwheat flour remains unknown. Nevertheless, investigators are on the case.
