Update - Sudan red food dyes in Australia
4 March 2005
Investigations by the Australian States and Territories have found that t he product ‘Walkers Worcester Sauce Flavoured Crisps’ is available in Australia in a limited number of retail outlets that specialise in British specialty foods. This product is one of the products being withdrawn from sale in the United Kingdom because of the possible presence of Sudan dyes.
Retailers have voluntarily withdrawn these products from sale. Similar to the situation in New Zealand, the product is not believed to have widespread distribution nor to be in the country in great numbers because it appears to be sold through specialty British food outlets and not through supermarkets or other large chains. Other varieties of Walkers crisps have not been implicated in the recall in the United Kingdom.
At this time, there is no indication that any other products implicated in the UK recall are available in Australia.
Sudan red food dyes in Australia (21 February 2005)
The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency (UKFSA) has recently advised consumers not to eat a wide range of foods that have been inadvertently contaminated with an illegal dye, Sudan I. This dye was in a batch of chilli powder used to manufacture a Worcester sauce, which was then used as an ingredient in a wide range of UK products.
Most of these UK products are fresh or chilled so it appears unlikely that any of the affected batches are present in Australia. However, this is being further investigated through industry and the states and territories.
Sudan red food dyes, including Sudan I, are not approved for use in Australia.
There is questionable evidence that Sudan I dye may be associated with cancer formation in laboratory animals, but there is no evidence that they can cause harm in humans, particular at the low levels found in these foods.
Based on the currently available data, the potential risk to human health from low levels of Sudan I is extremely low.
A national survey coordinated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, and carried out by the states and territories in March 2004, tested chilli and paprika powders and found that there were no detections of Sudan dyes in the products tested . For the full report see Summer - Autumn 2004 edition of Food Surveillance ANZ.
FSANZ is continuing to monitor the situation and will provide further updates, when available.