11 July 2007 - Further to the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) announcement concerning the damage that can be caused by Red 2G, used in food colouring (aka E 128), the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a recommendation for British food producers to stop using the dye.
"Under current European Union legislation, Red 2G is only permitted for use in specific meat products, namely, breakfast sausages with a minimum cereal content of 6% and burger meat with a minimum vegetable and/or cereal content of 4%. Red 2G is not permitted to be used as an additive in any other foods. Red 2G is likely to only be present in the specified products at very low levels and does not pose an immediate health risk to consumers", the FSA said.
The FSA added that the use of food additives in the UK is governed by European legislation and a meeting of the European Commission's standing committee scheduled for 20 July 2007 will discuss what action should be taken on Red 2G.
In the European Union, Red 2G is allowed only in the United Kingdom. Red 2G is also banned in Australia, Austria, Canada, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and the United States.
Ireland Says 'No'
Ireland's Food Safety Authority also announced yesterday that the food dye will no longer be permitted in food.
"The main manufacturers have either already reformulated or are in the process of reformulating their recipes to remove this colour. This process should be complete within a month, including any changes to packaging. We are instructing other manufacturers to stop using this colour as soon as possible. We are not requiring manufacturers and retailers to remove products from sale that have already been made using Red 2G because we consider that any risk to consumers is very small. The FSAI will continue to work with the industry to ensure products are reformulated to remove Red 2G," says an FSAI spokesperson.
According to EFSA research, Red 2G has been shown to convert largely in the body into a substance, called aniline. Based on animal studies the food safety agency concluded that aniline should be considered as a carcinogen.
An excerpt of the EU opinion on Red 2G (E 128) is available on FLEXNEWS.