News Compass

Friday, February 25, 2005

Must Read !: Foods Containing Sudan-1 Dye Recalled and Banned from sale in UK and EU

The alert over ‘Sudan-1’, an illegal cancer-causing dye found in a UK-made sauce allegedly containing chilli powder imported from India in 2002, spread to 15 countries in two continents on Thursday.

(READ BELOW on SUDAN-1 food dye) or click here

Described as the biggest crisis to hit Britain’s food industry since ‘mad cow disease’ continued to grow, some food companies in the country admitted that adulterated chilli powder added to worcestershire sauce had been used in foods sent to hospitals and schools, The Guardian daily reported.

According to the daily, food companies in

the US,
Canada,
Ireland,
France,
Denmark,
Italy,
Greece,
the Netherlands,
the Caribbean,
Belgium,
Austria,
Switzerland,
Cyprus and
Malta

were among the 186 firms listed by premier foods as buyers of its Worcestershire sauce.

About 120,000 bottles of Crosse and Blackwell worcester sauce were being withdrawn in the US and Canada.

Two catering companies which dominate school supplies and have thousands of pubs, restaurants and clubs among their customers, have confirmed that they had supplied food which was listed in the recall.

East Anglia food ingredients claimed that EW spice bought the contaminated powder from Gautam Export Corporation of Mumbai on September 12, 2002.

This had been supplied by Volga Spice, also of Mumbai.

SUDAN 1 is a red dye used to colour polishes, waxes and solvents.

It isn't meant to be used in food, and has been banned as an additive in the European Union since 1995.

Traces of it were found in a batch of Worcester sauce made by Premier Foods. The source of trouble was a contaminated batch of chilli powder, which went into Premier's Worcester sauce.

That in turn was added to over 400 food products, which are now being recalled.

Sudan I was first discovered in adulterated chilli products in May 2003.

Since then the Food Standards Agency has been working to ensure that it has been kept out of the food chain.

The UK Food Standards Agency said today the lists of the products affected included a NEW list of 146 products issued today, bringing the total of food products affected by Sudan-1 to 474.

Click here for more details: Latest news; Advice; Background; Product lists; Timeline;Your questions answered; Related press releases;

The Agency has contacted the major catering suppliers and they have withdrawn affected products . In addition, more than 150 smaller catering suppliers who received contaminated products have withdrawn products from their customers.

Consumers are reminded that the risk is very small, that there is no risk of immediate illness but it is sensible not to eat affected products.

Sudan I is a dye that should NOT be added to food and is banned in the UK and across the EU because it can contribute to an increased risk of cancer.

At the levels present the risk is likely to be very small but it is sensible to avoid eating any food known to be contaminated. There is no risk of immediate ill health.

The Agency is working with the industry and local authorities to ensure that any remaining affected foods are removed from sale. If you have any of these foods at home you are advised not to eat them and to contact the store you bought them from for a refund.

Sudan 1 is a genotoxic carcinogen, which means that it can permanently alter the DNA in, say, a human liver cell. The study that links Sudan 1 to cancerous tumours was done in America 20 years ago.

Background

This dye was in a batch of chilli powder used by Premier Foods to manufacture a Worcester sauce, which was then used as an ingredient in a wide range of products.

Since July 2003 all chilli powder imported into the UK has to be certified free of Sudan I.

The FSA and local authorities randomly sample more than 1,000 consignments a year of imported chilli products. However, this batch predates this sampling programme and was uncovered after sampling of Worcester sauce produced by Premier Foods and exported to Italy.

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