GUANGZHOU: Two food company executives faced Guangzhou Intermediate People's Court yesterday over the use of Sudan I in their products, an industrial dye that may lead to cancer.

General manager of Guangzhou Tianyang Food Co Ltd, Tan Weitang, and assistant to the general manager, Feng Yonghua, appeared in court on charges of providing foods and food additives containing Sudan I to more than 30 Chinese food manufacturers and companies in 18 provinces, regions and municipalities between March 2002 and March 2005.

Tianyang is accused of producing more than 242,700 kilograms of artificial colouring, food additives and other raw materials containing Sudan I.

The company allegedly sold 238,900 kilograms of its contaminated products, worth 4.37 million yuan (US$546,250), on the mainland over the past few years.

There are no reported cases of death or illness at this stage from the use of Sudan I in Tianyang's products.

Feng admitted that his company had secretly put food additives containing Sudan I into its chilli oil and artificial colouring and sold them to a large number of food companies and manufacturers since 2002.

Located in Zengcheng, a suburban city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, the company has become a source of Sudan I on the Chinese mainland. The company was shut down when the Sudan I case was exposed early last year.

So far, 88 products have been found to contain Sudan I on the mainland.

Heinz Meiweiyuan (Guangzhou) Food Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Heinz, the US food-manufacturing giant, was the first company inspected to be found using Sudan I in its products.

The company said it had purchased the Sudan I products and materials from Tianyang. Heinz Meiweiyuan (Guangzhou) destroyed more than 300,450 bottles of thick chilli sauces and chilli oils that were found to contain Sudan I.

(China Daily 04/18/2006 page3)