Written question asked by Keith Vaz (Labour) on Tuesday, 22 February 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 14 March 2005. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Monday, 14 March 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information the Government is providing to owners of smaller corner shops to help them identify the products that should be withdrawn from the shelves as a result of the Sudan I dye recall; what the reasons were for the delay between the notification to the Food Standards Agency of a potential problem with the Sudan I dye and the agency making a public announcement; what the total cost of the Sudan I dye recall is estimated to be.

Answer: Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information the Government are providing to owners of smaller corner shops to help them identify the products that should be withdrawn from the shelves as a result of the Sudan 1 dye recall; [218355] (2) what the reasons were for the delay between the notification to the Food Standards Agency of a potential problem with the Sudan 1 dye and the agency making a public announcement; [218356] (3) what the total cost of the Sudan 1 dye recall is estimated to be. [218357] Miss Melanie Johnson: Full information has been made available on the Food Standards Agency's website of foods known to be contaminated with Sudan 1, and this was provided to a number of stakeholder organisations, including the Association of Convenience Stores, to distribute to their members. In addition, the FSA has asked all local authorities to contact food businesses in their area to ensure the recall has been effective. The FSA made a public announcement less than 24 hours after it received accurate and reliable information from the food industry on products contaminated with Sudan 1 dye. The FSA has not undertaken an assessment of the cost of the Sudan 1 recall.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 432 c138-9W;432 c136-7W; 218355;218356;218357
Session: 2004-05
Subjects: Disclosure of information Costs Colourings Contamination Health hazards Food Food Standards Agency Shops Retail trade
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk