USE: IMMEDIATE                                                                 ISSUED: Wednesday, 11 May 2005

Highland Council’s Environmental Health Service are warning food retailers, food manufacturers, and catering business in the Highlands to be on the lookout for products that have been identified as being contaminated with Para Red. Members of the public are also being asked to check their food cupboards for these products.

The contamination problem has been widely publicised over the last week by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). To assist in the removal of affected products Highland Council Environmental Health Officers are contacting catering and food retail businesses. Environmental Health have arranged for letters to be sent to the 4000 caterers and food retailers in the area and these will be distributed over the next couple of days.

Para Red is a chemical dye used in printing and its use in food is banned. A number of food products have been found to have been made with spices that could be contaminated with the illegal dye. The affected products have been distributed all over the UK. The dye is chemically very similar to the Sudan 1 dye which has previously been found to have contaminated foods.

Para Red could contribute to an increased risk of cancer and it is not possible to identify a safe level or to quantify the risk. However, at the levels present in these food products the risk is likely to be very small.

To date the FSA has issued three lists of affected products. A total of 66 affected products have been identified so far. It is likely further products will be identified over the next few days as Food Standards Agency and Local Authority investigations continue. Information on the warnings and the full list of affected products are available on the Food Standards Agency’s website www.food.gov.uk.

Alan Yates, Highland Council’s Principal Food Safety Officer, said: "We are asking food retailers, manufacturers and caterers to check if they still have any of the products in their premises. If found they should be removed from sale and their use in manufacturing and catering operations immediately stopped. As it is likely more products will be identified, food businesses should monitor the press or the FSA website for any new developments.

"Members of the public should also be checking their food cupboards for the products. Although the health risks are small, the products should not be used and should be returned to the store where they were bought.

"If you have difficulty accessing the lists of affected products please contact your local environmental health office."

For further information: please contact: Alan Yates, Principal Food Safety Officer, The Highland Council TEC Services - Environmental Health, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX, Tel: 01463 702532 Fax: 01463 702606

Date Last updated : 11/05/05