The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued an advisory against the use of liquid nitrogen in food and beverages at the point of sale. It has particularly cautioned establishments/caterers serving food at restaurants, bars, fairs, weddings, etc. FSSAI has said that it has come across several instances of the use of the element “to make bakery items like ice cream, cocktails, meetha paan, biscuits, mithai, etc more appealing or to add some dramatic look at the time of serving.” However, such use is “unauthorised” and consumption of items containing liquid nitrogen has led to serious health issues/injuries, it states.
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FSSAI said, “Liquid nitrogen that is being illegally used directly at the point of serving/plating is not permitted as this is not the intended purpose/technical use of the additive and will be treated as non-compliance by food businesses doing so.” Further, it clarified that adding liquid nitrogen at the point of sale, just before consumption, is not mentioned in the Food Safety and Standards Regulations. “It is only intended to serve one or the other technical use during food processing”, the advisory reads.
Liquid nitrogen is gaseous at room temperature. Photo Credit: Pexels
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Liquid nitrogen (INS 941) is described as a “colourless, odourless gas or liquid” with functional uses as “freezing agent, propellant, packaging gas and foaming agent”. As per FSS regulations, this element is permitted for use in dairy-based desserts – ice cream at GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) level only for the technical function of contact freezing and cooling. “Any violation of this will lead to initiation of statutory action against food businesses as per the FSS Act, 2006 and rules/regulations made thereunder,” the food authority warned.
In May 2024, a 12-year-old girl in Bengaluru had to be hospitalised after eating a “smoky paan” filled with liquid nitrogen at a wedding function. She was diagnosed with a condition called perforation peritonitis – a hole in the abdomen. Liquid nitrogen has a very low boiling point (-196°C) and is gaseous at room temperature. Ingestion of such a low-temperature gas can be harmful – and even fatal – because of the effect of the extreme cold on the body.
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