Sudan I, a potentially cancer-causing colorant, has become a
target for the State Administration for Quality Supervision and
Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) following the disclosure that the
red dye has tainted hundreds of food items in Britain.
On Wednesday AQSIQ slapped a ban on imports of any foods
containing the substance, and began screening foods from the
European Union.
Last Friday, the British Food Standards Agency warned people not
to eat foods that have been contaminated with Sudan I, an illegal
dye that was banned for use in the United Kingdom and across the
European Union.
Sudan I can contribute to an increased risk of cancer, but there
is no risk of immediate illness and the health risk generally is
likely to be very small, Food Standards Agency Chief Executive Dr.
Jon Bell said in a statement appearing on the agency's website.
By Tuesday, the agency had released an updated list of 428
affected food products, ranging from barbecue sauce to pies,
including those made by such giants as Heinz and Unilever.
AQSIQ placed an urgent notice and a Chinese version of the list
on its website (www.aqsiq.gov.cn) on Wednesday. It also directed
local inspectors to check domestic food makers to ensure their
products or raw materials are free of the dye.
China has already prohibited the use of Sudan I in edible goods.
Food that contains the substance may not be sold or exported.
Unilever, which had nine of its UK-made products included on the
affected list, announced on Wednesday that those goods are not made
or sold in China.
"Unilever China has also checked all its Chinese suppliers and
found their products contain no Sudan I," Wang Hui, a staffer with
Unilever in Shanghai, said Wednesday.
On the same day, Heinz, another leading food maker, said none of
its five products being recalled in Britain are sold in China,
including?China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and
China's Taiwan Province.
All Heinz companies in China follow Chinese and international
quality standards, and comply with the Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Points requirements, said Wang Lizhi, external affairs
manager for Heinz (China) Investment.
(China Daily February 24, 2005)