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This brand of rum sold in TN’s TASMAC liquor stores could be harmful to your health

A test conducted by a state-run food safety lab on a bottle of rum purchased from a Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) outlet at Vadapalani in Chennai, showed that the rum was of sub-standard quality and contained more than double the prescribed limit of tartaric acid, reported Yogesh Kabirdoss for The Times of India.

Vijay, a resident of Chennai, sent a bottle of Ancient Cask Premium XXX Rum from TASMAC in Koyambedu to food safety department for a test. The department sent the bottle to Thanjavur based Food Analysis Laboratory and the report showed sub-standard quality.

However, the food safety department closed the issue by stating that the Vadapalani shop was shut down due to the Supreme Court’s order in April to stop the sale of liquor on or within 500 metres of highways. No action was taken against Kanchipuram-based Elite Distilleries Private Limited, the manufacturer of the rum, reported ToI.

TNM has found that Elite Distilleries Pvt Ltd, which owns the brand Ancient Cask Premium XXX Rum, is owned and run by the family of senior DMK politician and businessman Jagathrakshagan.

In another report dated January 20, the same brand of rum was tested by the state forensic sciences department showed that the brand had high levels of tartaric acid, acetic acid and andethylacetate, which can lead to heartburn to serious gastrointestinal diseases.

TOI’s story states that this could not be a one-off case and that TASMAC liquor is not checked regularly for quality.

In July 2015, the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) officials to conduct quality checks on the liquor marketed by after a petitioner alleged that the liquor sold by TASMAC had toxic substances and several of his RTI queries to officials were not responded to.

Source: The News Minute