THE directors of a Bradford bakery have admitted using a chemical normally used in the sewage industry and banned from food use to colour sweets.

Hafiz Munir Ahmed and Mansurul Aziz, who run Fine Bakers and Sweet Centre Limited, which has its head office in Keighley Road, Frizinghall, both pleaded guilty to placing food on the market containing Rhodamine B, an unauthorised additive.

They also pleaded guilty to failing to provide traceability information identifying from where the additive had been supplied when they appeared before Kirklees magistrates.

Rhodamine B appears green in powder form but when added to water turns a vivid fluorescent pink colour and was used by the firm to colour sweets pink.

It is not a permitted food additive and is considered to be carcinogenic and genotoxic. It is commonly used in the sewerage industry as an industrial chemical and not intended for food use.

The company was ordered to pay £2,200 prosecution costs with a £120 victim surcharge.

Ahmed and Aziz were each fined £500 and both were ordered to pay £550 prosecution costs and £50 victim surcharge.

Ahmed was also disqualified from being a director for two years.

The court heard West Yorkshire Trading Standards officers visited the firm's branch in Crosland Road, Huddersfield, in June last year as part of routine sampling work and carried out tests on the sweets.

A further inspection took place last August at the firm's manufacturing base in Thorne Road, Huddersfield, where further samples of sweets were taken for testing. During the visit a bottle of labelled ‘non-permitted food colour rose pink colour powder’ was discovered and the officer was informed it was used in manufacture of some of the products.

The samples from both inspections, including the rose pink colour, were submitted to the Public Analyst for analysis and it was discovered that the rose pink colour and two of the samples of the sweets, both pink in colour, contained Rhodamine B.

During subsequent investigations by West Yorkshire Trading Standards, the company also failed to identify the supplier of the Rhodamine B.

In mitigation, the company said that the use of the Rhodamine B in its products was a mistake as opposed to a deliberated act.

After the case, David Lodge, head of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said: “Consumers rightly expect the food they buy to be safe.

"This bakery used a dangerous, banned substance and had no records to identify where they had obtained the substance from. Trading Standards will continue to take action against food businesses that break the law.”

Anyone who suspects any food on sale fails to comply with the law has been urged to contact Trading Standards, via the Citizens Advice Bureau on 03454 040506.