Published on:
22
February 2005
Environmental Health staff will be urgently contacting every caterer and food retailer in Clackmannanshire to help shopkeepers identify products which may be contaminated with the illegal Sudan I dye.
Information is also being put out on the Council's own website www.clacksweb.org.uk, and through local press and radio.
Over 400 products have so far been withdrawn from sale after being identified by the Food Standards Agency as being contaminated with the dye, which is linked to an increased risk of cancer.
The red dye has been found in chilli powder used to make Worcester sauce, which was then used as an ingredient in many other products.
Environmental Services Team Leader John Stothard said: "We will be contacting local caterers and smaller food retailers as soon as possible to help ensure that all contaminated products are removed from sale as quickly as possible. This is a large scale operation and so it will take time to track down every single product, but we will be making every effort to ensure that shelves are cleared."
"Whilst we are taking urgent action to deal with this, I must emphasise that the risk to health is very low. Eating food containing Sudan 1 over a period of time would increase the risk of developing cancer, but this is a statistical risk and very hard to be precise about. There is certainly no danger of any immediate harm to health from eating the food, but it is always a good idea to avoid these risks whenever possible. That is why these foods are being recalled."
The affected products include ready-made meals, sauces, soups, crisps, pizza and other processed foods.
A full list of the products is available on the FSA website www.food.gov.uk