Food firms see red

The UK's food watchdog said this week that a food hazard warning had been issued for pickles in the Pran brand range. At the same time, the high-street chain Woolworths recalled its cast iron sizzler dish containing five individual spices after one of them, Creole Blend, was found to be contaminated with Sudan I.

What started as a trickle in July 2003- when the European Commission alerted Member States that products contaminated with Sudan I from India had been found in chilli powder or chilli products in France - is rapidly turning into a river of food product recalls as the FSA unearths more batches that could be potentially contaminated.

The recalls are compounded by recent emergency measures from the Commission penned in January this year that extend the paper trail for ingredients, requiring that imports of chilli and chilli products - including curry powder - can only cross the EU border with proof they are free of the illegal chemical dyes - Sudan I, Sudan II, Sudan III or Scarlet Red (Sudan IV).

That the rules now include curry powder, found extensively in European food products, means more paperwork and potentially a surge in product recalls for the food industry.

"The Commission decision was taken in light of recent findings relating to Sudan 11,111 and Scarlet red,"​ a Commission spokesperson told FoodNavigator.com at the time.

Random checks will also be carried out on chilli and curry products already on the market, the Commission added.

Maximising the communication flow between EU Member States, Brussels said that if any Sudan dye is discovered in products already on sale in the EU or in consignments rejected at EU borders, the Member States will continue to use the Rapid Alert System food and feed.

Forbidden in foodstuffs in the European Union, Sudan I, a known carcinogen, is a red dye that is used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes.