Beijing's quality and technical supervision bureau has announced that the additive Sudan Red I was discovered in bottled chilli oil produced by the Beijing Tianfu Food Company.
The Food Safety Office under the Beijing municipal government issued an urgent notice banning chilli oil products by Tianfu in all stores, supermarkets and markets in the city.
Also commonly known as CI Solvent Yellow 14 and Solvent Orange R, Sudan Red I is a lysochrome, an azo dye with a chemical formula of 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol. The additive is mainly used to colour waxes, oils, petrol, solvents and polishes.
Sudan I has also been adopted for colouring various foodstuffs, including particular brands of curry powder and chili powder, and some soft drinks. The use of Sudan I in foods is now banned in many countries due to inconclusive reports on its possible health risks.
640 boxes of Tianfu's pepper products, including chilli oil and chilli sauce, have been confiscated, and the company blames raw pepper materials used in the oil production were from the No 49 stall at the city's Dazhongsi wholesale market. A further investigation is being conducted on the material's sources.
Tianfu's chilli oil was also found to contain Sudan I in March 2005.
