Cancer alert over dye that gives cheap sausages a fresh look

[Guest guest]

A dye that is used sometimes to colour meat for burgers and sausages is at the centre of a cancer alert. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced yesterday that it could no longer guarantee a safe daily limit for consumers to eat meat with the colourant, Red 2G, which is also known as E128. A meeting has been called today by the Food Standards Agency to establish the extent of the use of the dye in Britain. It may also be found in cheap varieties of jam, food industry sources said. Scientific experts at the European Commission were expected to suspend the use of the dye while they reviewed the opinion provided by the EFSA. A meeting of the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health was scheduled to be held on Friday next week. Meat industry experts suggested that the dye was used only by individual butchers and small meat firms, and

that these traders may not even be aware that they were doing so. It was likely to be used as part of a mix of spice ingredients for the manufacture of sausages or burgers, rather than bought separately. It was mainly used for meat products sold at the cheaper end of the market and especially where there was less than 100 per cent meat content. A spokesman for the European Commission said that investigations had found that the dye was used mainly in Britain and the Irish Republic but that the scale was not yet known. He said that its use was limited in the manufacture of breakfast sausages with a minimum cereal content of 6 per cent and for burger meat with nonvegetable or cereal content of 4 per cent. These technical descriptions were described as a “red herring” by Malcolm Kane, an independent food safety consultant, who said that the terms applied to all sausages and burgers. Mr Kane said that Red 2G was part of the “azo” family of dyes, which

were extracted and modified from cold tar and had been linked to cancer for many years. He called for the dye to be banned. “Red dye is put into meat to make it look good when it is raw. Raw meat oxidises to a browny colour and so a dye makes it look fresher. It is a con trick and a marginally unethical use of colour in foods because it has no function in the final cooked product,” he said. Mr Kane said that meat traders had argued previously that there was an insufficient supply of natural dyes and that they relied on synthetic ones. “That is no longer true. There are plenty of stabilised grape juices or cherry juices that could be used in these applications,” he said. The British Meat Processors Association was unable to say how often the dye was used, and the National Association of Meat Traders, which represents independent butchers, was unable to establish how frequently the dye was used in mixes of spice ingredients. The full scientific opinion from the EFSA has not yet been published, but experts were concerned by the way that Red 2G converted in the body to aniline. In experiments, laboratory rats and mice that were injected with aniline developed cancer tumours. The scientific panel said that it could not be ruled out that the carcinogenic potential of aniline was due to damage to the genetic material of cells. It was therefore not possible to determine a level of intake for aniline that may be regarded as safe for humans. It concluded that “based on similar metabolism of aniline in animals and humans, a carcinogenic risk for man cannot therefore be excluded”. The panel withdrew the acceptable daily intake for the dye, which was 0.1mg per kg of a consumer's bodyweight per day. The EFSA examined use of the dye as part of a general review of additives after the scandal over Sudan I. This cancer-causing dye – normally used to colour solvents,

oils, waxes, petrol and shoe polish – is banned from the food chain. In February 2005 it was found in chilli powder that had been used to make Worcester sauce, a common ingredient in ready meals. Red 2G is banned in: — Norway — Sweden — Finland — Austria — US — Canada — Japan — Switzerland — Australia Have your say It's hard to make sense of what really is safe in food these days. Aspartame is toxic and brings dreadful side effects and yet is allowed, while stevia has been used safely for hundreds of years and is not allowed. Mary Smith, Daventry, UKPeter H

 

Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Try

it now.

[Guest guest]

That's interesting. I wonder if it is used in veggie burgers and

sausages too.

 

Jo

 

, Peter VV <swpgh01.t21 wrote:

>

> A dye that is used sometimes to colour meat for burgers and

sausages is at the centre of a cancer alert.

> The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced yesterday

that it could no longer guarantee a safe daily limit for consumers to

eat meat with the colourant, Red 2G, which is also known as E128.

> A meeting has been called today by the Food Standards Agency to

establish the extent of the use of the dye in Britain. It may also be

found in cheap varieties of jam, food industry sources said.

> Scientific experts at the European Commission were expected to

suspend the use of the dye while they reviewed the opinion provided

by the EFSA. A meeting of the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain

and Animal Health was scheduled to be held on Friday next week.

> Meat industry experts suggested that the dye was used only by

individual butchers and small meat firms, and that these traders may

not even be aware that they were doing so. It was likely to be used

as part of a mix of spice ingredients for the manufacture of sausages

or burgers, rather than bought separately. It was mainly used for

meat products sold at the cheaper end of the market and especially

where there was less than 100 per cent meat content.

> A spokesman for the European Commission said that investigations

had found that the dye was used mainly in Britain and the Irish

Republic but that the scale was not yet known. He said that its use

was limited in the manufacture of breakfast sausages with a minimum

cereal content of 6 per cent and for burger meat with nonvegetable or

cereal content of 4 per cent.

> These technical descriptions were described as a " red herring " by

Malcolm Kane, an independent food safety consultant, who said that

the terms applied to all sausages and burgers. Mr Kane said that Red

2G was part of the " azo " family of dyes, which were extracted and

modified from cold tar and had been linked to cancer for many years.

> He called for the dye to be banned. " Red dye is put into meat to

make it look good when it is raw. Raw meat oxidises to a browny

colour and so a dye makes it look fresher. It is a con trick and a

marginally unethical use of colour in foods because it has no

function in the final cooked product, " he said.

> Mr Kane said that meat traders had argued previously that there

was an insufficient supply of natural dyes and that they relied on

synthetic ones. " That is no longer true. There are plenty of

stabilised grape juices or cherry juices that could be used in these

applications, " he said.

> The British Meat Processors Association was unable to say how

often the dye was used, and the National Association of Meat Traders,

which represents independent butchers, was unable to establish how

frequently the dye was used in mixes of spice ingredients.

> The full scientific opinion from the EFSA has not yet been

published, but experts were concerned by the way that Red 2G

converted in the body to aniline. In experiments, laboratory rats and

mice that were injected with aniline developed cancer tumours.

> The scientific panel said that it could not be ruled out that the

carcinogenic potential of aniline was due to damage to the genetic

material of cells. It was therefore not possible to determine a level

of intake for aniline that may be regarded as safe for humans.

> It concluded that " based on similar metabolism of aniline in

animals and humans, a carcinogenic risk for man cannot therefore be

excluded " . The panel withdrew the acceptable daily intake for the

dye, which was 0.1mg per kg of a consumer's bodyweight per day.

> The EFSA examined use of the dye as part of a general review of

additives after the scandal over Sudan I. This cancer-causing dye –

normally used to colour solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and shoe

polish – is banned from the food chain. In February 2005 it was found

in chilli powder that had been used to make Worcester sauce, a common

ingredient in ready meals.

> Red 2G is banned in:

> — Norway

> — Sweden

> — Finland

> — Austria

> — US

> — Canada

> — Japan

> — Switzerland

> — Australia

>

>

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> Have your say

>

> fGenerateHaveYourSayLink('have-your-say-link-1', 'comments-

form', sHaveYourSay);

>

>

> It's hard to make sense of what really is safe in food these

days. Aspartame is toxic and brings dreadful side effects and yet is

allowed, while stevia has been used safely for hundreds of years and

is not allowed.

>

> Mary Smith, Daventry, UK

>

>

>

>

>

> Peter H

>

>

>

>

> Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Tryit

now.

>

[Guest guest]

I've heard the dye is used to make meat look more bloody, er, I mean appealing. That's why it's red. Vegetarians wouldn't want their burgers to look bloody, like the meat-eaters do. Right?

You could research various veggie burgers online, to be sure. But I had already heard about this dying of meat long before this latest revelation.

Fast Food Nation covers a lot of that stuff. Like the fact that fast food restaurants like McD's uses chemicals to make the burger smell and taste good as well.

Any food that needs that many chemicals in order to be palatable can't be good for you.

I'll take locally grown, fresh, whole plant foods any day!

 

Marcy

 

 

-

heartwerk

Tuesday, July 10, 2007 11:46 PM

Re: Cancer alert over dye that gives cheap sausages a fresh look

 

 

That's interesting. I wonder if it is used in veggie burgers and sausages too.Jo , Peter VV <swpgh01.t21 wrote:>> A dye that is used sometimes to colour meat for burgers and sausages is at the centre of a cancer alert. > The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) announced yesterday that it could no longer guarantee a safe daily limit for consumers to eat meat with the colourant, Red 2G, which is also known as E128. > A meeting has been called today by the Food Standards Agency to establish the extent of the use of the dye in Britain. It may also be found in cheap varieties of jam, food industry sources said. > Scientific experts at the European Commission were expected to suspend the use of the dye while they reviewed the opinion provided by the EFSA. A meeting of the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health was scheduled to be held on Friday next week. > Meat industry experts suggested that the dye was used only by individual butchers and small meat firms, and that these traders may not even be aware that they were doing so. It was likely to be used as part of a mix of spice ingredients for the manufacture of sausages or burgers, rather than bought separately. It was mainly used for meat products sold at the cheaper end of the market and especially where there was less than 100 per cent meat content. > A spokesman for the European Commission said that investigations had found that the dye was used mainly in Britain and the Irish Republic but that the scale was not yet known. He said that its use was limited in the manufacture of breakfast sausages with a minimum cereal content of 6 per cent and for burger meat with nonvegetable or cereal content of 4 per cent. > These technical descriptions were described as a "red herring" by Malcolm Kane, an independent food safety consultant, who said that the terms applied to all sausages and burgers. Mr Kane said that Red 2G was part of the "azo" family of dyes, which were extracted and modified from cold tar and had been linked to cancer for many years. > He called for the dye to be banned. "Red dye is put into meat to make it look good when it is raw. Raw meat oxidises to a browny colour and so a dye makes it look fresher. It is a con trick and a marginally unethical use of colour in foods because it has no function in the final cooked product," he said. > Mr Kane said that meat traders had argued previously that there was an insufficient supply of natural dyes and that they relied on synthetic ones. "That is no longer true. There are plenty of stabilised grape juices or cherry juices that could be used in these applications," he said. > The British Meat Processors Association was unable to say how often the dye was used, and the National Association of Meat Traders, which represents independent butchers, was unable to establish how frequently the dye was used in mixes of spice ingredients. > The full scientific opinion from the EFSA has not yet been published, but experts were concerned by the way that Red 2G converted in the body to aniline. In experiments, laboratory rats and mice that were injected with aniline developed cancer tumours. > The scientific panel said that it could not be ruled out that the carcinogenic potential of aniline was due to damage to the genetic material of cells. It was therefore not possible to determine a level of intake for aniline that may be regarded as safe for humans. > It concluded that "based on similar metabolism of aniline in animals and humans, a carcinogenic risk for man cannot therefore be excluded". The panel withdrew the acceptable daily intake for the dye, which was 0.1mg per kg of a consumer's bodyweight per day. > The EFSA examined use of the dye as part of a general review of additives after the scandal over Sudan I. This cancer-causing dye – normally used to colour solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and shoe polish – is banned from the food chain. In February 2005 it was found in chilli powder that had been used to make Worcester sauce, a common ingredient in ready meals. > Red 2G is banned in:> — Norway > — Sweden > — Finland > — Austria > — US > — Canada > — Japan > — Switzerland > — Australia > > > var show=false; var articleID = "2051108"; var sHaveYourSay = 'Have your say'; var sCollapseForm = 'Hide the form'; var sHideMostComments = 'Show fewer comments'; var errorString = ''; var testFlag = true; var nTotalCharacters = 1000; // Value for the total number of characters that can be submitted - change to suit requirements // // Array of required fields for the named form var aFormEnterViewCommentValidation = new Array('your_view','name','email','town_fs_city'); /* get the cookie string in cookie associated with cookiename */ function getCookie(Name) { var search = Name + "=" var CookieString = document.cookie var result = null if (CookieString.length> 0) { offset = CookieString.indexOf(search) if (offset != -1) { offset += search.length end = CookieString.indexOf(";", offset) if (end == -1) end = CookieString.length result = unescape(CookieString.substring(offset, end)) } } return result } /* set the cookie string in cookie */ function setCookie (name,> value, lifespan) { var cookietext = name + "=" + escape(value) if (lifespan != null) { var today=new Date() var expiredate = new Date() expiredate.setTime(today.getTime() + 1000*60*60*24*lifespan) cookietext += "; expires=" + expiredate.toGMTString() } document.cookie = cookietext return null } /* validating whether required fields are being entered before submitted */ function PostingValidate(objForm) { // if remember me is checked, the information is saved into the cookies if(objForm.remember_me){ setCookie('TimesOnlinecomment_name',objForm.name.value,30); setCookie('TimesOnlinecomment_email',objForm.email.value,30); setCookie('TimesOnlinecomment_city',objForm.city.value,30); setCookie('TimesOnlinecomment_countryState',objForm.countryState.value,30); } // seting the title to article headline so that the moderator get to know on which article, comment is made objForm.title.value = "Cancer alert over dye that gives cheap sausages a fresh look"; errorString = ''; testFlag => true; if(objForm.body.value.length=="0"){ objForm.body.focus(); document.getElementById("label_your_view").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_your_view").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; testFlag = false; errorString = '> * Please enter the comment'; } else { document.getElementById("label_your_view").className = ''; document.getElementById("label_your_view").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } if(objForm.name.value.length=="0"){ objForm.email.focus(); testFlag = false; document.getElementById("label_name").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_name").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; errorString += '> * Please enter the Name'; } else { document.getElementById("label_name").className = ''; document.getElementById("label_name").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } if(objForm.email.value.length=="0"){ objForm.body.focus(); testFlag = false; document.getElementById("label_email").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_email").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; errorString += '> * Please enter the Email'; } else { if(objForm.email.value.indexOf("@",1)==-1){ document.getElementById("label_email").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_email").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; testFlag = false; errorString += '> * Please enter a valid Email'; } else{ document.getElementById("label_email").className = ''; document.getElementById("label_email").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } } if(objForm.city.value.length=="0"){ objForm.body.focus(); testFlag = false; document.getElementById("label_town_fs_city").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_town_fs_city").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; errorString += '> * Please enter the city'; } else { document.getElementById("label_town_fs_city").className = ''; document.getElementById("label_town_fs_city").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } if (testFlag == false) { document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").innerHTML = "Error: "+errorString+" > "; return false; } else { return true; document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").className = ''; document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } } var sReadAllComments = ""; > > Have your say> > fGenerateHaveYourSayLink('have-your-say-link-1', 'comments-form', sHaveYourSay); > > > It's hard to make sense of what really is safe in food these days. Aspartame is toxic and brings dreadful side effects and yet is allowed, while stevia has been used safely for hundreds of years and is not allowed. > > Mary Smith, Daventry, UK> > > > > > Peter H > > > > > Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Tryit now.>

[Guest guest]

You would think that wouldnt you?, but there are vegans who want burgers etc that look and taste like dead animal parts? beats me as to why, wouldnt catch me withing 10 feet of those analogues. I dont need to be reminded of what there are trying to be. The Valley Vegan..............Marcy <imgreen03 wrote: I've heard the dye is used to make meat look more bloody, er, I mean appealing. That's why it's red. Vegetarians

wouldn't want their burgers to look bloody, like the meat-eaters do. Right? You could research various veggie burgers online, to be sure. But I had already heard about this dying of meat long before this latest revelation. Fast Food Nation covers a lot of that stuff. Like the fact that fast food restaurants like McD's uses chemicals to make the burger smell and taste good as well. Any food that needs that many chemicals in order to be palatable can't be good for you. I'll take locally grown, fresh, whole plant foods any day! Marcy - heartwerk Tuesday, July 10, 2007 11:46 PM Re: Cancer alert over dye that gives cheap sausages a fresh look That's interesting. I wonder if it is used in veggie burgers and sausages too.Jo , Peter VV <swpgh01.t21 wrote:>> A dye that is used sometimes to colour meat for burgers and sausages is at the centre of a cancer alert. > The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

announced yesterday that it could no longer guarantee a safe daily limit for consumers to eat meat with the colourant, Red 2G, which is also known as E128. > A meeting has been called today by the Food Standards Agency to establish the extent of the use of the dye in Britain. It may also be found in cheap varieties of jam, food industry sources said. > Scientific experts at the European Commission were expected to suspend the use of the dye while they reviewed the opinion provided by the EFSA. A meeting of the EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health was scheduled to be held on Friday next week. > Meat industry experts suggested that the dye was used only by individual butchers and small meat firms, and that these traders may not even be aware that they were doing so. It was likely to be used as part of a mix of spice ingredients for the manufacture of sausages or burgers, rather than bought

separately. It was mainly used for meat products sold at the cheaper end of the market and especially where there was less than 100 per cent meat content. > A spokesman for the European Commission said that investigations had found that the dye was used mainly in Britain and the Irish Republic but that the scale was not yet known. He said that its use was limited in the manufacture of breakfast sausages with a minimum cereal content of 6 per cent and for burger meat with nonvegetable or cereal content of 4 per cent. > These technical descriptions were described as a "red herring" by Malcolm Kane, an independent food safety consultant, who said that the terms applied to all sausages and burgers. Mr Kane said that Red 2G was part of the "azo" family of dyes, which were extracted and modified from cold tar and had been linked to cancer for many years. > He called for the dye to be banned. "Red dye is put into

meat to make it look good when it is raw. Raw meat oxidises to a browny colour and so a dye makes it look fresher. It is a con trick and a marginally unethical use of colour in foods because it has no function in the final cooked product," he said. > Mr Kane said that meat traders had argued previously that there was an insufficient supply of natural dyes and that they relied on synthetic ones. "That is no longer true. There are plenty of stabilised grape juices or cherry juices that could be used in these applications," he said. > The British Meat Processors Association was unable to say how often the dye was used, and the National Association of Meat Traders, which represents independent butchers, was unable to establish how frequently the dye was used in mixes of spice ingredients. > The full scientific opinion from the EFSA has not yet been published, but experts were concerned by the way that

Red 2G converted in the body to aniline. In experiments, laboratory rats and mice that were injected with aniline developed cancer tumours. > The scientific panel said that it could not be ruled out that the carcinogenic potential of aniline was due to damage to the genetic material of cells. It was therefore not possible to determine a level of intake for aniline that may be regarded as safe for humans. > It concluded that "based on similar metabolism of aniline in animals and humans, a carcinogenic risk for man cannot therefore be excluded". The panel withdrew the acceptable daily intake for the dye, which was 0.1mg per kg of a consumer's bodyweight per day. > The EFSA examined use of the dye as part of a general review of additives after the scandal over Sudan I. This cancer-causing dye – normally used to colour solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and shoe polish – is banned from the food chain. In February 2005

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else { document.getElementById("label_your_view").className = ''; document.getElementById("label_your_view").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } if(objForm.name.value.length=="0"){ objForm.email.focus(); testFlag = false; document.getElementById("label_name").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_name").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; errorString += '> * Please enter the Name'; } else { document.getElementById("label_name").className = ''; document.getElementById("label_name").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } if(objForm.email.value.length=="0"){ objForm.body.focus(); testFlag = false; document.getElementById("label_email").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_email").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; errorString += '> * Please enter the Email'; } else {

if(objForm.email.value.indexOf("@",1)==-1){ document.getElementById("label_email").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_email").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; testFlag = false; errorString += '> * Please enter a valid Email'; } else{ document.getElementById("label_email").className = ''; document.getElementById("label_email").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } } if(objForm.city.value.length=="0"){ objForm.body.focus(); testFlag = false; document.getElementById("label_town_fs_city").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("label_town_fs_city").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; errorString += '> * Please enter the city'; } else { document.getElementById("label_town_fs_city").className = '';

document.getElementById("label_town_fs_city").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } if (testFlag == false) { document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").className = 'color-bd0000'; document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").style.fontWeight = 'bold'; document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").innerHTML = "Error: "+errorString+" > "; return false; } else { return true; document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").className = ''; document.getElementById("enter-view-comment-error-container").style.fontWeight = 'normal'; } } var sReadAllComments = ""; > > Have your say> > fGenerateHaveYourSayLink('have-your-say-link-1', 'comments-form', sHaveYourSay); > > > It's

hard to make sense of what really is safe in food these days. Aspartame is toxic and brings dreadful side effects and yet is allowed, while stevia has been used safely for hundreds of years and is not allowed. > > Mary Smith, Daventry, UK> > > > > > Peter H > > > > > Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Tryit now.> Peter H

 

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