Contaminated food deadline looms
C-store retailers at risk of prosecution
Thousands of independent UK retailers are at risk of prosecution as the deadline to remove from sale all food products contaminated with the Sudan 1 dye looms.
The Food Standards Agency has given retailers and caterers until Thusrday morning to remove the 400-plus products on the FSA list from sale.
The dye was in a chilli powder used to make a batch of Worcestershire Sauce supplied by Premier Foods, owner of the Crosse and Blackwell brand.
It has spread widely through the UK food chain in products such as ready meals, soups and sauces. Sudan 1 has been linked to an increased risk of cancer.
The FSA has said companies which do not meet the deadline could face prosecution. The decision on whether to prosecute will be made by local authorities, which enforce the laws of selling food unfit for human consumption.
While the major UK supermarkets seem certain to have removed all the banned products, the situation is less certain for many independent convenience stores. One of the withdawn products, Walkers Worcestershire Sauce flavour crisps, was still on sale in a number of independent stores visited by [i]The Retail Bulletin [/i]on Wednesday.
Association of Covenience Stores chief executive, David Rae said retailers should “remove all recalled products from sale as soon as you are aware of exactly what these products are. You should also notify customers via point of sale material available from suppliers.”
He added: “Customers will also be returning products containing Sudan I to retailers. Convenience store operators should be prepared to deal with customer enquiries in respect of return or refund policies.”
