The FSA has advised retailers and food manufacturers to withdraw from sale any products, which may contain Worcester Sauce supplied to them from a specific batch manufactured by St Alban’s based manufacturer Premier Foods. This statement does not relate to Worcester Sauce supplied by any other food manufacturer.
All caterers and smaller retailers in East Sussex are advised to check the FSA’s website food.gov.uk and cross-reference the products that they produce/sell against the list there to ensure that further products containing Sudan I are removed from sale as quickly as possible. They should then contact their supplier to discuss arrangements for removal of affected products from the supply chain.
Anyone unable to access the website, but is concerned they might have affected products in their stock, should contact Trading Standards on 01323 418200.
Head of trading standards, Brian Johnson, said:”It must be stressed that the product withdrawal is a purely precautionary measure, and the levels at which Sudan 1 occurs in the products concerned presents no immediate risk to health. Nevertheless the Food Standards Agency has decided that withdrawal of affected products is the best course of action to follow”.
Notes to editors
The present situation has arisen from a quality assurance check, which revealed the presence of Sudan 1 in Worcester Sauce, through the contamination of a batch of Chilli Powder, which is a very minor ingredient used to manufacture the sauce. Sudan 1 is a colorant, which is not permitted for use in food products. The FSA has advised that the levels of Sudan 1 detected, present no immediate risk to health. In addition the Worcester Sauce when used as an ingredient of other food products is diluted to such an extent that Sudan 1 becomes virtually undetectable.
The FSA has initiated the product withdrawal as a precautionary measure. Premier Foods, although not the source of the contaminant are working closely with the FSA, to ensure that any users of the identified batch of Worcester Sauce are advised of the situation. Food retailers will advise consumers through in-store notices to contact the FSA if they have concerns or wish clarification.
Since July 2003 all chilli powder imported into the UK has to be certified free of Sudan I. The FSA and local authorities randomly sample more than 1,000 consignments a year of imported chilli products. However, this batch predates this sampling programme and was uncovered after a sampling of Worcester Sauce produced by Premier Foods and exported to Italy.
Reference:
05/090/JW
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