Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 169: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 174 and 175 of 30 November 2004 regarding the carcinogenic food dye, Sudan Red 1, the number of food items available here containing this dye; the number of these items now removed from shops; and when consumers will be informed that all items containing this dye have been removed from the shops and stores of food outlets. [6890/05]

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 170: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children if the source of the carcinogenic food dye, Sudan Red 1, has been identified and prevented from use in food items. [6891/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 169 and 170 together.

Sudan Red 1 has been banned as a food colourant throughout the European Union since 2003 due to concerns about its potentially carcinogenic properties. On 18 February 2005 the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, issued a public warning about food products that contained Sudan Red 1. The authority's warning followed the receipt of information from the Food Standards Agency in the UK concerning the discovery that Premier Foods (UK) had used chilli powder contaminated with Sudan Red 1 in the manufacture of Worcester sauce. The chilli powder used had been imported from India into the UK. Premier Foods supplied its Worcester sauce for use as a flavouring agent in various branded products and in other food products such as ready meals and soups.

By 25 February, 75 contaminated products, 70 retail products and five catering products, were identified by the FSAI. The authority has worked with Irish retailers and manufacturers for an immediate recall of affected products from the market. The authority is satisfied that in all cases contaminated products have been removed from shelves as soon as they were identified.

A full list of known products is available on the authority's website (www.fsai.ie) and is being updated on an ongoing basis. The authority has also conducted a major media campaign to ensure that consumers are aware of the products identified and to advise them to throw out contaminated products or return them to the shop where they were purchased. A measure of the success of this publicity campaign can be seen in the fact that almost 22,000 hits were recorded in a single day on the authority's website and that the consumer help line dealt with in excess of 1,300 phone calls over the period.

The source of Sudan Red 1 is a batch of chilli powder imported from India to the UK in 2002. This was used to make Worcester sauce which was used as a flavouring agent in about 500 different food products. Since June 2003, the European Union only allows imports of chilli products which have been tested and are certified to be free from contamination by the Sudan Red 1 dye. In addition, member states are obliged to carry out surveillance of the products on the market. In 2004 a total of 166 food products available on the Irish market were tested for Sudan Red. Four of these foods tested positive for Sudan Red 1, three curry sauces and one sample of chilli beans. These contaminated batches were withdrawn from the market.