THE number of products caught up in Britain's biggest food recall alert is likely to increase after already soaring to more than 400.

A further 59 products contaminated with the potentially cancer-causing dye Sudan 1 have been announced by the Food Standards Agency.

It takes the total number of products recalled since last Friday to 418 - although that figure is expected to rise.

The latest ones added to the list include Walkers Crisps, dressings used by fast food chain McDonald's, and a large number of supermarket own-brand ready-made meals.

The alarm was raised last Friday when the Food Standards Agency published a list of 359 products containing the potentially cancer-causing dye Sudan 1.

More than 300 food companies are affected by the mass recall - triggered by the discovery of Sudan 1 in chilli powder next used in a consignment of Crosse and Blackwell Worcester Sauce.

By then the sauce had been added as an ingredient to a wide range of other products.

Sudan 1 is a red dye used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polish. It is illegal to add the substance to food products.

Shelves

The FSA has given companies until Thursday to notify it of any more contaminated products and retailers the same deadline to clear their shelves.

The deadline came amid friction over the time it took for the public to be informed about the recall. Premier Foods, which makes Crosse and Blackwell Worcester Sauce, first contacted the FSA on February 7 - 11 days before the announcement was made.

Kevin Hawkins, director general of the British Retail Consortium, said: "Some legitimate questions have been raised about why it was that the Food Standards Agency became aware of the problem on February 7 and yet this time last week none of the big food retailers were aware of it."

An investigation survey by the M.E.N. has found that food containing Sudan 1

is still on sale in Manchester shops.

Almost half the stores we visited had products on the danger list. Our reporter was able to buy at least one of the products containing the dye from 15 of the 27 shops we visited.

Ten sold beef and tomato flavoured Pot Noodles, product number 359 on the FSA's list, and three had "The Sizzler" Bacon flavour, product number 358.

Dangers

Eight had Walkers Worcestershire Sauce flavoured crisps, voluntarily recalled by the company last Friday, and added to the FSA's list yesterday.

None of the large national supermarket chains we visited had the recalled products on their shelves - the main culprits were corner shops and smaller chains. Shopkeepers said they had not been notified about the dangers but would immediately withdraw the products.

It is feared that although national chains were able to withdraw items, smaller business may not have been told what to remove. Manchester council's environmental health and trading standards officers take responsibility for what shops should stock.

A spokesman said: "We have been targeting businesses we know do not have a national infrastructure, like smaller mini markets and corner shops, asking them to remove these products immediately.

"We have been doing it since Friday when the warnings came out. As we speak, our officers are out and about speaking to smaller retailers."

A spokesman for McDonald's said all of their contaminated products were recalled last Wednesday.

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