The latest from the FSA (provided from the FSA website);
Para Red
“The Food Standards Agency has published a list of 35 foods that have been found to contain the illegal dye, Para Red. It has also issued a Food Alert for Information
The Agency has been informed that 35 food products have been found to have been made with a spice that could contain an illegal dye, Para Red. The products are being withdrawn from saleThe FSA recommend that consumers contact the retailer concerned to confirm if a particular foodstuff is on the list concerned
BackgroundThe contamination of spices with illegal dyes is a European-wide issue and the Agency has been pressing the European Commission to lead a co-ordinated approach to the issue. The Commission will hold a meeting with member states on Tuesday 10 May to consider the best way to tackle the problem. The Agencys Director of Food Safety Dr Andrew Wadge said: 'Para Red like Sudan I is an illegal dye that should not be in food. People understandably don't expect or want it to be in their food. At the levels being found the risk is likely to be very small indeed, but it is right that food businesses are removing these products from sale.
"We are pleased that the European Commission is going to develop a European-wide approach to this tackling this issue. Concerted action across Europe is the most effective way forward."
"Para Red is an industrial dye that is not permitted for use in food. It is chemically similar to Sudan I, a dye which was implicated in the contamination of other food products in February. The Agency's independent scientific experts advise that it would be prudent to assume that Para Red, like Sudan I, could be a genotoxic carcinogen and so exposure to it should be as low as reasonably practical. The contaminated spice was supplied by Spanish company, Ramon Sabater, and is believed to originate in Uzbekistan. The spice was imported into the UK by Lion Foods who supplied a number of companies. Following confirmation of contamination the FSA issued notices to the companies concerned that the products should be recalled on Tuesday 3 May. The companies concerned have been co-operating with the FSA in compiling and checking product lists since then" (FSA, 2005; Illegal Chemical Dye Found in more food products 05/05/05)
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