London, May 30 - Britain's Food Standards Agency said on Wednesday a food scare in 2005 caused by a carcinogenic red dye turning up in food products was characterised by a lack of information for companies and consumers.
Sudan I, an industrial dye used in petrol and shoe polish but banned from food because it increases the risk of cancer, was detected in Britain in several food items, including chilli powder and pickles in early 2005.
Hundreds of sauces and ready-meals were taken off supermarket shelves in the UK's biggest product recall. Other European countries also checked their food for contamination.
"There was a lack of clarity about what products were contaminated," Andrew Wadge, the FSA's chief scientist, told an an independent committee looking into how the scare was handled.
"Whatever incident happens this year, it will not be like the previous one."
Wadge said the FSA was beefing up a task force group and training them to exchange information more rapidly with the parties involved and to have a better understanding of risk assessment and management.
Nick Tomlinson, head of chemical safety at the FSA, said the agency would attempt to raise the awareness of companies on how they could get information at times of food scares.
It would also provide consumers with more information through a text messaging system that was being developed.