Danger further spiced

After the Sudan 1 health scare, the uk is witnessing another major withdrawal of food products feared contaminated with Para Red, an illegal dye linked to cancer. On May 9, 2005, the country's Food Standards Agency (fsa), its food safety watchdog, announced that 19 products had been withdrawn from sale due to the threat. Earlier, on May 5-6, 2005, warnings in the same regard were issued about 47 other food products, including ready-made meals.

fsa cautioned that while the amount of Para Red in the spices used in these products are very low, it would be "sensible not to eat them". The Sudan 1 scare in February 2005 led to a withdrawal of 350 food products (see Down To Earth, 'The Indian Chilli burn', March 31, 2005).