Cyprus issues warning after UK food dye scare

THE HEALTH services have advised people not to eat foods imported from the UK that have contaminated with an illegal dye, Sudan I. The dye, linked to an increased risk of cancer, was in a batch of chilli powder used by Premier Foods to manufacture a Worcester sauce, which was then used as an ingredient in a wide range of products.

The move came after Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) last week issued a warning that some 350 food products may be affected and should be withdrawn from the shelves. The foods, including soups, sauces and ready meals, have been distributed widely.

Some of the more known brands include Crosse & Blackwell Worcestershire Sauce and Heinz Shepherd’s Pie. The Worcestershire Sauce, available in stores in Cyprus, typically comes in a glass packaging in various sizes.

The products have an expiry date ranging from 2008-2010. Supermarket chains Asda, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys and Tesco all carry some of the affected products.

Sudan I is a red dye used for colouring solvents, oil, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes. It is not allowed to be added to food in the EU. All dried and crushed or ground chilli coming into any EU member state must be accompanied by a certificate showing that they have been tested and found free of the substance.

Any consignment that does not have a certificate is detained for sampling and analysis. Random sampling is also carried out both at ports and by local authorities. However, the batch in question predates this sampling programme. All consignments found to contain Sudan I must be destroyed.

Britain’s FSA has assured the public that they run no immediate health risks, adding that removal of affected products was a precautionary measure. The agency’s Chief Executive Dr Jon Bell said that, “At the levels present, the risk is likely to be very small but it is sensible to avoid eating any more.”

In Cyprus, the Health Ministry’s advisory yesterday said consumers should avoid contaminated foodstuffs, and urged restaurants, takeaways and hotels not to serve these and report to authorities whether they have already purchased any affected products.

Health services were alerted to the problem via the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF).

n A full list of affected products can be found at http://www.food.gov.uk/safereating/sudani/sudanlist. The website is regularly updated.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.