Food lines withdrawn in tainted chilli scare

Several food companies may be forced to withdraw dozens of product lines, following a warning last week that an illegal chemical has been discovered in chilli powder imported from India.

So far, two companies which have used the contaminated chilli powder have been affected - Shaws of Huddersfield, which manufactures chutneys and relishes, and BE International Foods, which makes seasoning for curries under the brand name Rajah. Both are removing the affected products from sale.

David Statham, director of food standards and enforcement at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), said: "Anyone who has one of these products should throw it away." He added that the FSA's investigations were "ongoing".

According to the FSA, there is no immediate risk from exposure to the chemical, called Sudan 1, but continued consumption of the chemical could cause cancer.

Martin Shaw, retired chairman of Shaws, said: "The manufacturers of the chilli powder must have added this to tart up their product, make it look more sophisticated. The annoying thing is that we're not interested in colour, just flavour."

He added that, although Shaws had switched to another chilli powder supplier earlier this year, before the company knew about this problem, other food manufacturers were likely to have used the contaminated chilli powder in question.

A spokesman for the FSA said: "We expect more products will be named over the coming weeks."

Caterers looking for more detailed information on which products are contaminated should go to the FSA's website at: www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/sudan.