Food has been withdrawn from over 20 establishments in Cumbria as a direct result of action by Trading Standards Officers and Environmental Health Officers throughout the County. Officers from both agencies have found food thought to be contaminated with the illegal dye Sudan 1 and entered on the Food Standards Agency warning list.
Cumbria County Council's Trading Standards Officers are focusing their inspections on smaller independent retailers and wholesalers. District Council Environmental Health Officers are concentrating on contacting catering establishments in the region. Because of the large number of premises potentially affected it is unlikely that all can be inspected for compliance. Therefore, Trading Standards and Environmental Health Officers wish to make it clear that businesses have a responsibility to ensure that food products they have on sale or for use in food preparation comply with food laws. If a business is in possession of any food thought to be on the Food Standards Authority ‘contaminated’ list, they are advised to remove it from sale immediately.
Wholesalers, retailers and caterers are reminded that the updated list of affected foods can be found on the Food Standards Agency website - go to www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/sudan.pdf or www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/sudanupdate01.pdf
If any business or consumer cannot access the website, they should contact Environmental Health or Trading Standards on the numbers below.
Phil Ashcroft, Head of the county council's Trading Standards department, said:
"Retailers and wholesalers should remove affected products from sale and destroy them or return them to their supplier. If anyone has any of the foods at home, they should either throw them out or return them to the retailer for a refund."
David Copeland, on behalf of Environmental Health Officers in the County, said
"All catering and retail premises should by now have removed affected products from sale. All consumers should continue to be aware of the implicated products and dispose of the foods or return them to seller for a refund."
Although the products affected are not likely to cause any immediate danger to health, Sudan dyes are linked to an increased risk of cancer and, therefore, anyone who has suspect products in their possession would be unwise to consume them.
Sudan dye is not a permitted food colour and is believed to be a genotoxic carcinogen. Its presence, at any level, is outlawed in any foodstuffs. As well as presenting a potential health risk, products containing Sudan dye do not comply with the food safety requirements specified in the Food Safety Act 1990. The Government has introduced measures to prevent the importation of chilli and chilli-based products without a test certificate to show they are free from contamination.