From The Archives: BUST! Two years later, those toxic foods are back on our shelves

In 2007, the Sunday Times sparked a massive countrywide withdrawal of contaminated food from supermarket shelves (article originally published in the Sunday Times on 04/03/2007).

The recall began after Pick ’n Pay, Spar and Shoprite Checkers were told that, for the second time in two years, they were selling spices laced with the banned industrial chemical dyes Sudan 1, 2 , 3 and 4.

It is illegal worldwide to use these dyes in food; they are classified as potentially carcinogenic — cancer-causing — by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organisation.

Over the past two months the Sunday Times has tested spices bought randomly from supermarkets across the country.

Included in testing were the same products originally found tainted in a Sunday Times exposé in March 2005.

The shock results of the analysis, done by SGS South Africa — a leading laboratory which does regular Sudan testing for some major industry players — revealed that of the samples tested, six were contaminated with one or more of the Sudan dyes.

All six implicated products were culprits in the 2005 food-cancer scandal. Included is a peri-peri spice made by Robertsons, a Unilever company with the lion’s share of the spice market, and two Taj Mahal spice products made by Osman’s Spice Works, a big spice merchant.

Sudan dyes are legally used to colour petrol, waxes, floor and shoe polish and cosmetics. Just a kilogram will colour tens of thousands of litres of oil and turn 50 million candles orange.

They are used illegally in foods to enhance the colour of chilli powders.

Yesterday Pick ’n Pay responded swiftly to the Sunday Times alert, withdrawing all implicated products.

It has also warned that if, after further investigation, it was found that there had been “deliberate negligence” on the part of any of the implicated suppliers, they would discontinue stocking the products and possibly blacklist the supplier.

Said chief executive Nick Badminton: “Should further tests confirm the results from the Sunday Times, we will be extremely angry that any supplier would pointedly ignore a directive of our company and potentially put consumers at risk.”

Meanwhile, consumer bodies have reacted with outrage.

Chairman of the National Consumer Forum Thami Bolani said this second scandal was further proof that big business was more interested in “super profits” than the health of consumers.

“It’s a disgrace that after the first exposé, foods contaminated with this dye are still available. It is also again an indictment on government, especially the Department of Health, because clearly it has no capacity to ensure that retail stores only sell products that do not undermine the health and safety of consumers.”

But in an interview with the Director-General of Health, Thami Mseleku, and the Director of Food Control, Dr Dries Pretorius, on Friday, the department said that on its scale of food-safety risks, Sudan was not high.

“The ultimate would be to have a food-safety agency, but it’s costly and because of other major health challenges, it’s not going to happen in the near future,” said Mseleku.

Department of Health spokesman Sibane Mngadi said yesterday that an urgent meeting had been called by the department with the Consumer Goods Council, which represents manufacturers and re-tailers.

“We will take samples of the implicated products to have them tested and will ask local municipalities to randomly take products off the shelves for testing. Those contaminated will be withdrawn and the public will be told,” he said.

Brian Weyers, marketing director of the Shoprite Group, said it was dismayed that products laced with the banned substance had again found their way into the market.

“This comes despite written confirmation from the food manufacturing industry that the country’s spice is free from the dye.

“The Shoprite Group has removed products that are suspected to contain Sudan and has instructed national and international supplier companies to do likewise in the supply chain.

“It is disappointing that major suppliers do not abide by the disciplines of food safety,” Weyers said.

The South African National Consumer Union’s Ina Wilken said somebody was not doing their job.

“Where is the food-safety control taxpayers deserve? Where are the health inspectors? Why are industry and retailers not doing anything about this?” asked Wilken, who also chairs the South African Bureau of Standards’ consumer sector board.

The chief executive of Spar Group, Wayne Hook, said a withdrawal of implicated products in its 800-plus stores was under way.

“We will have to call these suppliers in and haul them over the coals,” said Hook.

Robertsons spokesman Christine Broadhurst said that until it fully investigated the implicated product, it could only suspect that the test was inaccurate or that the product had been tampered with.

“Since 2005, the chilli industry has significantly increased the quality regime. Robertsons purchases the bulk of its chillies from the Indian chilli board, whch now has international best practice in quality control.

“We have certification from them of every batch of chillies since 2005 showing that all our batches are clear ... as a further control Robertsons tests every batch of chillies ... with either an international laboratory or the industry-recommended local laboratory, Ampath.”

Ismail Osman, from Durban-based Osman’s Spice Works, said he would only accept that his products were contaminated once he had conducted his own tests.

Lucia Anelich, from the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa, said: “Industry should never have allowed this to happen.”

Wilken said: “If consumers don’t rise up and cause a national outcry over this, then I’ll be very concerned. Consumers must demand accountability from government and industry. They must stand up and say enough is enough.”

Nigel Sunley, a representative of the SA Association for Food Science and Technology, said: “The buck stops with the manufacturer.”

This article was originally published in the Sunday Times on 04/03/2007.