The member states of the European Union have agreed to a common approach to illegal dyes in spices, on the basis of a proposal by the European Commission, the commission said today (Wednesday).
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The commission and food safety experts from the member states yesterday (Tuesday) discussed and agreed a common approach to tackling recent contaminations of spices and other foods by industrial dyes such as Para Red and dyes similar to Sudan I, the commission said.
In particular, four Member States (UK, the Netherlands, France and Spain) agreed that their laboratories would work together to further develop analytical methods for Para Red and similar dyes for the benefit of all member states, it said.
Pending the results of this exercise, it was agreed that the limit of detection for most illegal dyes similar to Sudan 1 was 0.5 to 1 mg/kg, and that all foods prepared from spices containing illegal dyes above this level should be withdrawn from the market.
The meeting also agreed to ask the European Food Safety Authority to carry out a review of toxicological data available on Para Red and other similar dyes. Pending the availability of harmonised methodology, member states should continue to carry out controls and report unfavourable results to the Rapid Alert System.
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By GlobalDataThe commission and member states will continue to raise the awareness of the food industry about their responsibilities, and the commission will transmit the analytical methods developed to third countries.
