FSA extends list of Sudan I contaminated products

22/02/05 The UK Food Standards Agency has updated the list of food products affected by Sudan I contamination with a further 38 new items. The latest figure for contaminated products now stands at 397, in what is thought to be the biggest recall of foods in the UK. Items added to the list containing the carcinogenic dye on Monday include Walkers worcester sauce flavoured crisps, Weight Watchers shepherds pie and McDonalds dijon mustard mayonnaise. The full list includes predominantly private label products from supermarket chains Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose, Morrison and Asda.

FSA Chief Executive Dr Jon Bell said, "We expect remaining product information to be provided immediately although, given the scale and complexity of the problem, it is likely to take until Thursday to pull that together. However, we expect food business to remove any remaining affected products as soon as they can. This is a very large scale operation involving hundreds of companies. The health risk is very small but it is important that consumers have accurate information as many products have already been reformulated."

The Agency reminded food companies of their legal responsibility to ensure that food sold is fit for purpose and that they should check that any remaining stock of chilli powder or products made from chilli powder is free from Sudan I. Investigations continue into this incident.