Warning as illegal cancer dye found in spice mix (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Warning as illegal cancer dye found in spice mix

6:20am Monday 1st June 2009 in Bradford By Marc Meneaud

Grocery stores and restaurants have been put on high alert after an illegal food dye that has been blamed for causing cancer was discovered in a spice mix imported into the country by a Bradford firm.

The dye, known as Sudan 1, caused a flurry of anxiety four years ago when it found its way into several products.

This time the dye has been found in Alif Foods Mix Bisar spice mix, which is believed to be mainly sold by wholesalers and retailers in the Bradford area, said the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Sudan 1 is a red dye used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and shoe polish. It is illegal to add the dye to food in Britain and rest of the EU.

The FSA warns: “Sudan 1 dye has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and these findings could also be significant for human health. Because the dye might contribute to the development of cancer in people, it is not considered safe to eat.

“The product is believed to be mainly sold in the Bradford area by ethnic food wholesalers and retailers. However, it could be sold in other areas, particularly in northern England.”

It was discovered by FSA investigators in 800g clear plastic bags of Mix Bisar, an orange-brown powder.

The spice mix was packed in March 2008 and has been imported into the UK from Pakistan by Alif Foods, based at the Synergy Business Park, Essex Street, near St James’s Market in Bradford, said the FSA.

Each bag carries a white paper label, including details of Alif Foods and Euro Traders, the Pakistani exporters.

An FSA spokesman said there was no “immediate risk” of illness because the small amount of dye in the spice mix.

But Council enforcement officers have been told to remove and destroy it and ask retailers to display notices explaining the reasons for its recall to customers.

The spokesman added: “If a local authority finds any other packing or date codes of the product, it should sample the product for Sudan I dye and tell the FSA of any positive results. The local authority should also make sure appropriate enforcement action is taken.”

Nobody was available for comment when the T&A visited Alif Foods premises. There was no-one at the address. Rotting vegetables and a pile of burned ginger were found in the grounds of the industrial unit.

In 2005, the discovery of Sudan 1 sparked a major health alert when 44 separate products were removed from supermarket shelves due to its presence as an ingredient.

Then, the list of products concerned included 45 own-label lines from Bradford-based Morissons and other major supermarkets.

Many of the products were ready-made meals such as shepherd’s pie, pasta bake, cottage pie, chicken wings, sausage casserole, pizza, steak and kidney pie and chilli con carne. There were also a number of products made by well-known UK food companies, including a low-fat Caesar dressing made for burger chain McDonald’s.

Khurshid Ahmed, partner at Ahmed Foods, in Leeds Road, Bradford, said the store had been approached by the Food Standards Agency last week to see if they stocked the mix.

He said: “We never stocked that mix in our shop.

“I only knew about it last week when somebody from the FSA came to ask whether we stocked it.

“So they checked around the place and then they said if we know anything let them know, if anybody comes to us to try and sell it, then let them know.”

e-mail: marc.meneaud @telegraphandargus.co.uk