Sudan 1
By WLR Dietitian
In the 80s, we had salmonella in eggs. Then it was BSE in
beef in the 90s. Now the noughties have given us Sudan 1 dye
in processed foods. Not a decade goes by without a major food
scare hitting the headlines – and this time it’s a
cancer-causing contaminant that’s led to the biggest food
recall in history.
At the time of writing, almost 600 products had been
removed from our supermarket shelves and restaurants after
being contaminated with an illegal red dye called Sudan 1. The
culprit was a batch of chilli powder used in Crosse &
Blackwell Worcester Sauce, which was then used as an
ingredient in a wide range of products, including ready meals,
sauces, soups, pizzas, sausages, salad dressings and crisps.
Unsurprisingly, this contaminated chilli has left health
experts and consumers hot and bothered. Sudan 1 – typically
used for colouring oils, waxes, petrol and shoe polishes – is
thought to increase the risk of cancer, although it’s not
known how much is considered to be unsafe.
Fortunately, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) – the
government organisation responsible for co-ordinating the
recall – believe if you’ve eaten a contaminated product you’re
unlikely to have damaged your health and there’s no risk of
immediate illness. However, they’ve advised consumers not to
eat any more products containing the dye and as a result, have
been working around the clock with the food industry, catering
suppliers and local authorities to make sure all affected
products have been removed from supermarket shelves and
catering establishments.
While it’s mostly high-fat, calorie-laden foods that have
been affected, slimmers still need to check their cupboards
and freezers as several low-fat salad dressings and
reduced-calorie ready meals have been affected – and no
supermarket has been left untouched. Just a few examples of
affected products in healthy eating ranges include Asda Good
For You! Cottage Pie, Iceland Good Choice Chicken Hot Pot,
Morrisons Eat Smart Sausage & Mash, Sainsbury’s Be Good To
Yourself Caesar Dressing, Tesco Healthy Living Beef & Ale
Casserole, Waitrose Perfectly Balanced Roast Vegetable Pizza
and Weight Watchers From Heinz Chicken in Barbecue Sauce.
The latest food scare has left most of us wondering how an
illegal dye could end up in our food, especially as safety
measures have been in place since 2003 to prevent this from
happening. In fact, for the past two years, all dried and
crushed or ground chilli coming into the UK has to be
accompanied by a certificate showing it’s free of Sudan 1. Any
batch that fails to have a certificate is detained for
analysis and, if found to contain Sudan 1, is destroyed.
Unfortunately, on this occasion, it appears the contaminated
batch was accepted before these rules were set up.
But even the FSA agrees this should never have happened.
Director of Enforcement at the FSA, David Statham, says,
“There can be no doubt that consumers should not have been
exposed to these contaminated products. Local authorities will
check what actions have been taken and we will also work with
them in considering what enforcement action may be appropriate
following these investigations.”
Weight Loss Resources says… This latest food scare
highlights yet again that eating a diet based mainly on fresh
foods is best for our health. Most of the contaminated foods
aren’t an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. In fact,
many are likely to be packed with calories, fat, salt and
additives, while containing few vitamins and minerals. When it
comes to losing weight, your waistline will almost certainly
benefit by eating fewer processed foods.
Our advice would be to use this unfortunate situation to
reconsider your eating habits with the aim of using more fresh
ingredients rather than relying so heavily on processed foods.
In the meantime, if you have any products at home that are
contaminated with Sudan 1, don’t eat them and return them to
the store where you bought them for a refund. A full list of
affected foods is available on the FSA’s website,
www.food.gov.uk/sudanlist
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