The Ink in Your Samosa

Hot pakoras wrapped in yesterday's headlines might feel nostalgic, but the ink could be harming your gut, hormones, and heart. It's time to unwrap the truth.

- Junaid Maqbool

On a Srinagar afternoon, a street vendor hands a customer a piping hot potato snacks, folded neatly in a piece of yesterday's newspaper. It's a scene repeated every day across Kashmir.

From Baramulla to Anantnag, from Pulwama's halwai shops to evening snack stalls in Lal Chowk, food wrapped in newsprint feels familiar, even comforting.

But that warm, oily snack comes with something more than spice.

Hidden in the ink are chemicals that, once transferred to hot food, may be affecting your body in serious ways.

Modern printing ink isn't just ink. It's a mix of chemicals, some of them toxic. While these chemicals help words and images stick to paper, they're not meant for your plate.

Mineral oils, for instance, are found in almost all printing inks. They may contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These compounds are linked to cancers of the skin, lungs, and bladder.

According to the European Food Safety Authority, exposure to PAHs through food remains one of the most concerning public health risks.

And it worsens when the food is oily, hot, or wet, exactly how most Kashmiri snacks are served.

Lead, once common in printing inks, has been reduced in newer publications. But older or regional newspapers, still widely used by vendors, may still carry it.

Lead, even in small amounts, has a devastating impact on brain development. A child regularly eating food from such sources could be unknowingly exposed to developmental delays, attention problems, or learning difficulties.

In Kashmir, where educational pressures are already high, such risks deepen the crisis.