MPs want Sudan I investigation
MPs are today calling on the Government to set up an investigation into how the illegal dye Sudan I made it into the UK food chain.
The House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee wants the Government to establish how long Sudan I was present in chilli powder, and why it was not detected sooner.
The dye was discovered in chilli powder that had been used by Premier Foods to manufacture Worcester sauce, which was used as an ingredient in products ranging from sausages to pizzas.
Its discovery prompted a major food scare as hundreds of products were withdrawn from supermarket shelves on the say so of the Food Standards Agency.
In a wide-ranging report on food information, MPs say: “The Committee commends the Food Standards Agency on the work it has done towards providing clear advice to consumers about food safety issues, but calls for a speedy Government investigation into the events which allowed the illegal dye Sudan 1 to make its way into the UK food chain.”
The committee also makes a number of other recommendations on food information, including a call for the speedy introduction of a UK-wide signposting system that sets out a food’s health credentials at a glance.
MPs want to see more extensive nutrition information on all pre-packed foods, and the provision of guideline daily amounts for energy and nutrition requirements on labels.
The committee is disappointed with the efforts of the major supermarket chains to encourage their suppliers to improve nutrition labelling and signposting, but recognises they have made progress with their own-labels.
And it also identifies a “gaping hole” in the provision of food information to consumers when eating out in restaurants or when buying loose, non-prepacked foods.
Mark Lazarowicz, who chaired the sub-committee that carried out the inquiry said consumers will not be able to make healthy choices without adequate information on the food they buy.
He adds: “Although there have been some steps taken by the food industry to improve its record, in far too many cases food information is not made available to consumers in a form which is of any use to them. We need a comprehensive scheme of food labelling, not token gestures by the industry.”
At a Government level, the committee calls upon the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to take the lead on food information, which is currently divided between at least six departments.
Any changes in food labelling must also go hand-in-hand with better education about food, and changes in industry practice regarding food pricing, portion sizes and product placement, it says.
