Sudan dyes ban extended as the EC reminds companies of responsibilities

The Sudan dye alert goes on as food protection authorities around the world continue to find them in a variety of products.

Sudan I, II, III and IV are red dyes traditionally used for colouring solvents in oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes. To date they have been found in canned foods, sauces, pizza, frozen foods, dips and desserts ­ as well as in spices and flavourings.

Sudan dyes are synthetically produced azo dyes that do not occur naturally in food and are therefore considered to be additives. Their degradation products have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and these findings could also be significant for human health. Because Sudan dyes may contribute to the development of cancer in people they are not considered safe to eat at any level.

The latest development in the Sudan story came in April when the European Commission extended controls for the dyes to include imports of curcuma and virgin palm oil as well as chilli and chilli products. At the same time, it published a new leaflet to remind food and feed operators of their responsibilities for food safety (see Table 1).

This follows member state endorsement of a Commission proposal to add curcuma and virgin palm oil to the list of food products that must be certified as free of Sudan dyes (Sudan I, II, III and Scarlet Red/Sudan IV) in order to be imported into the EU.

Health and consumer protection commissioner Markos Kyprianou explained: “The Commission has had strong safeguards in place against the dangers of carcinogens such as Sudan dyes for some years now and has kept these under continuous review. One of the lessons we have learned from the recent Sudan I contamination is that we need to extend controls for Sudan to products other than chilli in order to ensure the highest possible levels of protection for European consumers. I would urge all food operators and member state authorities ensure that products containing these dyes do not enter the EU market, this is their responsibility.“

Referring to the leaflet, Kyprianou added: “Food and feed operators cannot ignore their responsibilities to guarantee safe food for all EU citizens. That is why the Commission is reminding them again of their obligations, and member states must use all necessary measures to ensure that they comply.“

Controls carried out by member states have revealed that numerous consignments of curcuma and virgin palm oil are contaminated with Sudan dyes. Sudan dyes have been classified as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and are banned from use in food in the EU. National authorities are responsible for ensuring that imports of chilli powders and products are free of Sudan dyes and they must use the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed to inform the Commission and other member states if these dyes are detected.

Partly because of the detection of Sudan I dye in hundreds of food products in the UK in February, the Commission considered it useful to remind food operators again of their obligations under EU food law via its seven-point leaflet.

This latest move comes on top of new measures introduced in2004 to stop imports of chilli and chilli products with carcinogenic red dye. From that point on, all chilli and chilli products including curry powder could only be imported into the EU as long as they have an analytical report which shows that they do not contain Sudan I, Sudan II, Sudan III or Scarlet Red (Sudan IV).

And these measures extended earlier emergency measures introduced on 20June2003 to stop imports of Sudan I after France discovered the dye in imports of hot chilli products. In the following months, Sudan I was found in a wide range of chilli and chilli products (Fig.1). Sudan I and the three similar dyes were also found in food products such as chilli and curry powders as well as a number of processed foods containing chilli or curry.

A different sort of problem

While food protection authorities across Europe have moved quickly in the case of Sudan dyes, this type of contamination poses some difficult challenges for them. Ireland's example is typical.

It turned out that affected products which reached the Irish market earlier this year had originated from a British company that had used chilli powder contaminated with the dye to manufacture of Worcester sauce. That chilli powder had been imported from India. Because the British company supplied various branded products and manufacturers of other products such as ready meals and soups, the dye eventually made its way into a number of products from well-known brands, including Pot Noodle, Tesco, Bird's Eye, Marks and Spencer and Iceland.

“We have issued more serious food alerts in the past, however we had never had this type of recall. The difference was that it involved so many products that we all know and many of us use,“ explained Jane Rider of the Food Safety Authority Ireland (FSAI) to www.irishhealth.com.

“We had many people contacting the authority who were confused about the issue. They wanted to know whether they could check the ingredients on packets of food for the dye. But as it should not be in food in the first place, it is obviously not listed. The fact that it is illegal made its presence in these food products totally unacceptable,“ she added.

As well as this year's problem, the FSAI issued three different alerts against Sudan I last year. An English wholesale company was found to be distributing products containing the dye. After it was discovered that this company had distributed its products to a second company who had also imported contaminated products into Ireland, the FSAI had to issue a second alert because the problem was more extensive than originally thought.

In all cases, the FSAI's alerts were category one, which means that action is required because there has been an identified risk to consumers. However, while the FSAI emphasises that while it is totally unacceptable for this dye to be used in foods, the risk is small.

“While the colourant has been found to have carcinogenic properties, it would have to be consumed over a long period of time in order to pose a significant health risk,“ noted John O'Brien, chief executive of the FSAI.

For more information, visit http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/ health_consumer/foodsafety.htmfor more)

Recent Issues