Test for food traceability legislation from Sudan1

Weightron Bilanciai believes the latest food scare over chilli powder contaminated with the red dye Sudan1 is the first real test of the traceability legislation introduced in January of this year

Weightron Bilanciai, a leading supplier of weighing and traceability systems, believes the latest food scare over chilli powder contaminated with the red dye Sudan1 is the first real test of the new traceability legislation introduced in January of this year.

Sudan1 has been shown to present a serious health risk and has therefore been banned from use in food products in the UK and rest of the EU since 2003.

Unfortunately the dye has been found in a batch of imported chilli powder used to manufacture a Worcester sauce, which was in turn used as an ingredient in a wide range of products including ready meals, pizzas, sauces and sausages.

As a result, the Food Standards Agency has ordered the withdrawal from sale of over 400 products, including many on sale at Britain's biggest supermarkets.

Sudan1 is more normally used for colouring shoe and floor polishes, solvents, oils, waxes, and petrol.

The current problems apparently stem back to a five tonne contaminated shipment of chilli powder which arrived in the UK from India in 2002.

As the Food Standards Agency continues to identify the contaminated foods and their suppliers, companies are frantically searching their traceability archives to see how they are affected.

Weightrons Sales Director Nick Catt claims that a significant number of food manufacturing companies still operate manual paper-based traceability systems where data is hand written onto batch sheets.

There is growing scepticism around manual traceability systems and they are coming under increasing scrutiny by all parties including supermarkets, fast food outlets and ultimately the consumer.

Trying to analyse such data quickly and efficiently is a nightmare, especially if there is a need to go back several years as in this case.

By contrast, according to Weightron, companies using their systems would have no problems in supplying comprehensive traceability information at the touch of a button.

The system allows implementation of a full paperless Audit Trail of raw material traceability by Lot and Batch number.

This provides a totally credible factory wide electronic traceability system and data is instantly available for inspection and greatly reduces the pressure from external audits.

Because full records are stored electronically, the system can carry out information recall in a matter of seconds as to WHERE, WHEN and INTO WHICH recipe batches any suspect ingredient has been added.

The Weightron Bilanciai recipe systems are based on the latest technology using a fully industrial "touch screen" PC operating system encapsulated within a food grade stainless steel wash down cabinet.

Systems typically comprise completely integral networked recipe control workstations with label printing facilities all of a bespoke height and design to suit specific working applications.

All equipment is food grade stainless steel, load cells are IP68 weld-sealed capable of withstanding the rigorous of day to day wash-down routines.

In short the system "Polices" the production process without the need for constant supervision by management.

It ensures consistent batch quality, minimises waste from scrap batches and provides real time data on raw material usage thereby enabling up to the minute control of stock levels, production with order scheduling and production monitoring.

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