BEIJING - A cancer-causing agent at the center of a European health scare has been found in 12 provinces and municipalities across China, sparking recalls of suspect products, state media said Friday.
The red dye, Sudan-I, was first discovered last week in a pepper sauce made by a Heinz subsidiary, the Heinz Meiweiyuan Food Co. based in Guangzhou, capital of southern Guangdong province.
The US food giant issued a recall of chilli sauces, chilli oils and other products in China suspected of containing the agent.
Xinhua news agency cited China's General Administration for Industry and Commerce (GAIC) as saying the dye had now been found in 12 provinces and municipalities, including Beijing and Shanghai.
The suspect products all came from a raw materials provider, the Guangzhou-based Tianyang Food Co. Ltd., the administration said.
In Guilin, in southern Guangxi autonomous region, 58 kilograms of raw materials containing the colorant have been seized, but two kilograms remain unaccounted for, Xinhua said.
The material also came from Tianyang Food Co. Ltd, the supplier to Heinz Meiweiyuan Food Co. Ltd.
The dye was found by the Food Standards Agency of Britain on February 18 in a batch of chilli powder made by Premier Foods, one of the country's largest food and beverage companies.
The agency also found the dye in products of companies such as Schweppes, Coca Cola and Unilever.
Sudan-I is traditionally used for coloring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and shoe and floor polishes.
03/11/2005 03:51 GMT