A sample of prepacked red chilli flakes was tested and found to contain Sudan dye (aka Sudan stain) – a colouring agent which is not permitted in food, but the product is currently not on sale in Macau, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) announced in a statement last week.
After the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety notified the local bureau, it immediately issued a food alert to the local food trade, while IAM officials were sent to inspect food retail outlets.
The statement said the product in question is named Red Chilli Flakes, originating from India under the brand name Passion by Mama. The product in question has a net weight of 80 grammes and a best-before date of September 5, 2023.
The bureau urged the public to stop consuming the product immediately if they had purchased it on the internet or from resellers or through other channels.
The statement also said that the food sector is obliged to keep records of the import and export of food products or receipts so that the bureau can trace the source and flow of food products, if necessary.
According to Wikipedia, Sudan stains and Sudan dyes are synthetic organic compounds that are used as dyes.
This undated photo downloaded from the internet last night shows the Red Chilli Flakes product sold under the brand name Passion by Mama, which according to the Macau Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) contains Sudan dye.
