US food giant H.J. Heinz Company, has issued a national recall of chilli sauces and chilli oils that may contain the red industrial dye, Sudan I, according to a report in Monday’s China Daily cited by the Xinhua news agency.
“Heinz has told its distributors and sales agencies across the country to recall the suspected products,” said Charles Chyi, regional president of Heinz (China) Investment Co Ltd.
“And we know where our products are now being sold in the mainland,” Chyi told a press conference on Sunday afternoon in Guangzhou, capital of South China’s Guangdong Province.
Heinz provided a list of products that must be recalled on the Chinese mainland and has given it to its distributors and wholesalers, but Chyi refused to reveal just how many products will be recalled because of the carcinogen nationwide.
According to a local quality supervision department, six products produced by Heinz companies are suspected of containing Sudan I. The products include: chilli sauces, oils and extracts.
So far, Heinz is the first and only company that has been inspected to have produced the products containing the dye in Guangdong.
In the wake of nationwide inspections for the dye, law enforcement personnel from the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Quality Supervision have sealed up many sauces and oils that contain Sudan I over the past couple of days.
The products that have been sealed up have included 60,624 bottles of pepper oil, 119.4 kilograms of pepper extract, 66,636 bottles of pepper sauce, 713.9 kilograms of pepper powder, 1,800 bottles of red vinegar, and 34,155 bottles of seafood sauce.
In addition, some other dyes, additives and related materials and products that were produced by a subsidiary of Heinz, were sealed.
China banned imports of any food containing the carcinogenic substance on February 23.
On Friday, the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine required the Heinz Meiweiyuan (Guangzhou)Food Co Ltd to recall its affected products.
