Agency updates warning about contaminated chilli products after pasta sauce affected

Friday 29 August 2003

The Food Standards Agency today warned that some batches of a pasta sauce sold in the UK contain chilli powder contaminated with the chemical dye Sudan I.

All Cirio brand Arrabbiata Pasta Sauce has been withdrawn from sale by distributor Cirio Del Monte NE Ltd. The product, which comes in 400g jars, was on sale in Sainsbury's, Waitrose and other retailers. Anyone who has purchased this pasta sauce should not eat it. It can either be returned and a refund requested from the shop where it was purchased, or thrown away.

Sudan I, which is not permitted in food, could cause cancer, although there is no immediate threat of illness. Those most at risk would be people eating contaminated products regularly over a long time.

The round jar, which has a blue lid, is labelled Pasta Sauce Arrabbiata Chilli and has the brandname Cirio on it. Red chillis are pictured on the label. Photographs of the tomato-based sauce can be found on this website. The company says no other Cirio products have been affected. Consumers wanting more information can contact the company helpline, which will be operational from Tuesday, on 0800 9156188.

The Agency has been investigating which food products in the UK have been affected by contaminated chilli powder since July. Several other companies have recalled a variety of contaminated food products. The chilli powder in all these products had been imported from India, where certain producers had been adulterating their product with the red dye. Updates on any further products found to be contaminated will be placed on the website as information becomes available.