Skip navigation

Food Standards Agency

Thursday 28 August 2008

Safer food better business banner

AZ-Directory What's New

Para Red: latest news, advice and recalls

Wednesday 11 May 2005

spices red

A further three products have been added to the list of foods shown to contain spices contaminated with illegal dye Para Red.

The latest products are being withdrawn from sale by the companies concerned. They are in addition to the 66 issued on 5, 6 and 9 May 2005.

The Agency's advice to consumers remains the same. The amounts of Para Red found in the spices are very low. At the levels found, the risk from eating any of these foods is very small, but as a precaution it would be sensible not to eat them.

The affected foods are listed below. If you have any of them at home you can contact the store, or the manufacturer you bought it from, for a refund.

These latest products were made using contaminated spices from the same source as those products identified previously by the Agency.

The Agency will continue to work with the UK food industry to establish whether any other companies have been supplied with contaminated spices.

This list will be updated as the Agency is informed of further affected products and people should also look out for in-store notices and other publicity about affected products.

Back to top

Full product list

This list is based on information provided to us by retailers.

If you have concerns as to whether a product in your possession is in fact a product on this list, please contact the retailer concerned.

This list may be updated as more information becomes available.


Date of Issue 5 May 2005, 17.00
 
Product
Size
Product Type
Best Before Date or Use By Dates
1
Asda Chinese Style Curry Cooking Sauce
560g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before 14/4/2006 and Best Before 16/4/2006
2
Asda Tex Mex Hot Chilli Sauce
570g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before 22/3/2006
3
Co-op Hoi Sin Cook-in Sauce
460g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End Apr 2006, with Lot Code 5109S
4
Co-op Spicy Sichuan Cook-in Sauce
440g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End Apr 2006, with Lot Code 5109S
5
Co-op Hot Chilli Cook-in Sauce
440g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End Apr 2006, with Lot Code 5101S
6
Co-op Ground Paprika
46g
Spice
Best Before End Feb 2007, with lot code 5075
7
Iceland Tikka cooking sauce
450g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before 14th April 2006
8
Sainsbury's Moroccan Chicken Snack Salad
200g
Chilled Salad Snack
Use By 9th, Use By 10th & Use By 11th May 2005
9
Tesco Korma Curry Sauce
715g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End April 2006 and Best Before End March 2006
10
Tesco Korma Curry Sauce
500g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End April 2006 and Best Before End March 2006
11
Tesco Healthy Living Korma Curry Sauce
500g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End April 2006
12
Tesco Healthy Living Tikka Masala Curry Sauce
500g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End April 2006 and Best Before End March 2006
13
Tesco Tikka Masala Curry Sauce
500g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End April 2006 and Best Before End March 2006
14
Tesco Tikka Masala Curry Sauce
715g
Cooking Sauce
Best Before End April 2006
15
Tesco Finest Soft cheese & salmon Terrine lunch selection
152.5g
Chilled Pate
Up to and including Use by 18 May 2005
16
Tesco Finest Vintage Cheddar & Farmhouse style pate. Lunch selection
152.5g
Chilled Pate and Cheese
Up to and including Use by 18 May 2005
17
Tesco Finest Crab Terrine
120g
Chilled Pate
up to and including Use by 24 May 2005
18
Tesco Finest Salmon Terrine
120g
Chilled Pate
Up to and including Use by 24 May 2005
19
Tesco Mexican Style Chilli Bean Pate
115g
Chilled Pate
Up to and including Use by 1 June 2005
20
Tesco Finest Farmhouse style Pate with Black Galloway Ale
145g
Chilled Pate
Up to and including Use by 26 May 2005
21
Tesco Finest Smoked Duck Pate with Pear Jelly
145g
Chilled Pate
Up to and including Use by 19 May 2005
22
Tesco Farmhouse Style Pate
Deli
Chilled Pate
Up to and including Use by 24 May 2005
23
Waitrose Pheasant Paté
175g
Chilled Paté
Use by 18th May up to and including Use by 25th May 2005
24
Waitrose Salmon Terrine
175g
Chilled Paté
Use by 23rd May up to and including Use by 8th June 2005
25
Waitrose Smoked Duck & Apple Paté
175g
Chilled Paté
Use by 17th May up to and including Use by 8th June 2005
26
Waitrose Wild Mushroom Paté
175g
Chilled Paté
Use by 20th May up to and including Use by 7th June 2005
27
Waitrose Entertaining. Smoked Duck & Apple Paté
500g
Chilled Paté
Use by 19th May 2005
28
Waitrose Entertaining. Kiln Roasted Salmon
500g
Chilled Paté
Use by 19th May 2005
29
Waitrose Entertaining. Chicken & Calvados Paté
500g
Chilled Paté
Use by 6th June 2005
30
Waitrose Entertaining. Wild Mushroom Paté
500g
Chilled Paté
Use by 7th June 2005
31
Waitrose Deli Duck Champagne & Truffle Paté
1Kg
Chilled Paté
Use by 17th May up to and including Use by 8th June 2005
32
Waitrose Deli Game & Hawthorne Paté
1 Kg
Chilled Paté
Use by 20th May up to and including Use by 4th June 2005
33
Waitrose Deli Salmon & Lemon Thyme Paté
1 Kg
Chilled Paté
Use by 23rd May up to and including Use by 9th June 2005
34
Waitrose Deli Woodland Mushroom Paté
1 Kg
Chilled Paté
Use by 26th May 2005
35
Waitrose Deli Chicken & Calvados Paté
1 Kg
Chilled Paté
Use by 27th May up to and including Use by 6th June 2005
Date of Issue 6 May 2005, 15.40
 
Products
Size
Product Type
Best Before Date or Use By Dates
36
Castle MacLellan. Orkney Crab Pâté with Crème Fraiche and Dijon Mustard
113g
Pâté
First Use By Date 27/05/2005 Last Use By Date 18/06/2005
37
Castle MacLellan. Oven Roasted Red Pepper Pâté with Cous Cous & Coriander
113g
Pâté
First Use By Date 29/05/2005 Last Use By Date 16/06/2005
38
Castle MacLellan. Scottish Smoked Salmon Pâté with Horseradish & Lemon Juice
113g
Pâté
First Use By Date 27/05/2005 Last Use By Date 14/06/2005
39
Castle MacLellan. Rannoch Smoked Duck Pâté with Bramley Apple Jelly
113g
Pâté
First Use By Date 29/05/2005 Last Use By Date 14/06/2005
40
Castle MacLellan. Spiced Vegetable Pâté with Galloway Chutney
113g
Pâté
First Use By Date 29/05/2005 Last Use By Date 05/06/2005
41
Makro. Aro Spicy Burger Sauce with Sugar and Sweetener
1 litre
Sauce
April-06
42
Meridian Tikka Masala Sauce. Free from gluten, wheat and dairy
350g
Sauce
July-06
43
Somerfield. Spicy Szechuan Stir Fry Sauce
210g
Sauce
April-06
44
Somerfield. Good Intentions Tikka Masala Sauce
435g
Sauce
April-06
45
Somerfield. Indian Tikka Masala Sauce
440g
Sauce
April-06
46
Weight Watchers. Farmhouse Style Pâté
113g
Pâté
First Use By Date 28/05/2005 Last Use By Date 19/06/2005
47
Weight Watchers. Spicy Bean Pâté
113g
Pâté
First Use By Date 29/05/2005 Last Use By Date 17/06/2005
Date of Issue 9 May 2005, 16.20
 
Products
Size
Product Type
Best Before Date or Use By Dates
48
Asda Fajita meal kit
475g
Meal kit
Best Before End dates 24 and 25 Sept 2005
49
Asda Fajita seasoning
30g
Seasoning sachet
Best Before End March 2007 and April 2007
50
Britz Chilli flavoured crisps
34.5g
Crisps
Best Before End 22 Oct 2005
51
Chicago Town Brick Oven Cheese pizza
570g
Frozen pizza
Best Before End dates 15 April 2006 and 30 April 2006, lot codes L5094, L5108, L 5109, L5110, L5111, L5112
52
Chicago Town Brick Oven Pepperoni pizza
590g
Frozen pizza
Best Before End dates 15 Jan 2006 and 31 Jan 2006, lot codes L5094, L5108, L 5109, L5110, L5111, L5112
53
Chicago Town Chilli Wraps
2 x 171g
Frozen wraps
Best Before End 14/12/05 lot code L5104, Best Before End 31/11/05 lot code L5090
54
CoFresh Chilli & Lemon Flavoured Potato Grills
90g and 40g
Snack
Best Before End 22, 23 and 24 January 2006
55
Co-op Red kidney beans in chilli sauce
410g
Canned product
Best Before End Mar 2007 lot code 5076, Best Before End Apr 2007 lot codes 5096 and 5098
56
Discovery Foods. Gluten-free Mexican Recipe meal kit
388g
Meal kit
Best Before End 25 July and 4 August 2005
57
Kolak Chilli Lemon crisps
28g
Crisps
Best Before End dates 18 June, 2 July, 16 July, 23 July, 30 July 2005
58
Kolak Chilli Lemon crisps
100g
Crisps
Best Before End 25 June 2005
59
Kolak Chilli Lemon crisps. Multipack
6 x 28g
Crisps
Best Before End 16 July 2005
60
Kolak Hot & Spicy crisps. Multipack
6 x 28g
Crisps
Best Before End 25 June 2005
61
Morrisons Thai Sweet Chilli traditional handcooked crisps
150g
Crisps
Best Before End 5 August 2005
62
Pataks Bombay Bites
100g
Snack
Best Before End dates 6 Aug, 13 Aug, 20 Aug, 27 Aug and 3 Sept 2005
63
Pataks Bombay Crackers
120g
Snack
Best Before End dates 6 Aug, 27 Aug, 10 Sept and 24 Sept 2005
64
Tayto Fusion Sweet Chilli and Red Pepper crisps
40g and 150g
Crisps
Best Before End dates 29 July and 5 August 2005
65
Tesco Fajitas meal kit
417g
Meal kit
Best Before End dates 8 Sept, 25 Sept, 1 Oct and 19 Oct 2005
66
Tesco Temptations. Sweet Chilli and Red Pepper handcooked crisps
150g
Crisps
Best Before End dates 29 July, 5 August and 12 August 2005
Date of Issue 11 May 2005, 16.10
 
Products
Size
Product Type
Best Before Date or Use By Dates
67
Discovery Salsa Wrap 'n Roll
340g
Snack
Use By Dates 13 May, 16 May and 21 May 2005,
68
Discovery Taco Seasoning
30g
Seasoning
Best Before Date March 2008
69
Iceland Ready Cooked Sliced Chicken Tikka Strips
200g
Cook-chilled
Use By Dates 06 May to 10 May 2005 and also 13 May 2005

Product list 11 May 2005 - Excel format
Product list 11 May 2005 - PDF format

Back to top

Background

The contamination of spices with illegal dyes is a European-wide issue and the Agency has been pressing the European Commission to lead a co-ordinated approach to the issue.

The Agency�s Director of Food Safety Dr Andrew Wadge said: 'Para Red, like Sudan I, is an illegal dye that should not be in food. People understandably don�t expect or want it to be in their food. At the levels being found the risk is likely to be very small indeed, but it is right that food businesses are removing these products from sale.

'We are pleased that the European Commission is going to develop a European-wide approach to tackling this issue. Concerted action across Europe is the most effective way forward.'

Para Red is an industrial dye that is not permitted for use in food. It is chemically similar to Sudan I, a dye that was implicated in the contamination of other food products in February. The Agency�s independent scientific experts advise that it would be prudent to assume that Para Red, like Sudan I, could be a genotoxic carcinogen, which means it could cause cancer by damaging DNA, and so exposure to it should be as low as reasonably practical.

The contaminated spice was supplied by Spanish company, Ramon Sabater, and is believed to originate in Uzbekistan. Following confirmation of contamination, the FSA issued notices to the companies concerned that the products should be recalled on Tuesday 3 May. The companies concerned have been co-operating with the FSA in compiling and checking product lists since then.

Back to top

Your questions answered

Find out more about Para Red

Back to top

Tell a Friend

Printer friendly

Contact us

Get alerts

Our Sites

Find out what our other sites have to offer

Change Text Only Settings

Graphic version of this page