18th Feb 2005 16:47
Premier Foods plc18 February 2005 FSA Worcester Sauce product recall notice ----------------------------------------- Premier Foods is issuing the following statement in response to a product recallnotice issued by the FSA today, 18 February 2005. The Food Standards Agency has advised Retailers and Food Manufacturers towithdraw from sale any products, which may contain Worcester Sauce, supplied tothem from a specific batch manufactured by Premier Foods. This statement doesnot relate to Worcester Sauce supplied by any other food manufacturer. The situation has arisen from a Quality Assurance check, which revealed thepresence of Sudan 1 in Worcester Sauce, through the contamination of a batch ofChilli Powder, which is a minor ingredient used to manufacture the sauce. Sudan1 is a colourant, which is not permitted for use in food products. The FSA hasadvised that the levels of Sudan 1 detected present no immediate risk to health.In addition the Worcester Sauce when used as an ingredient of other foodproducts is diluted to such an extent that Sudan 1 becomes virtuallyundetectable. The ingredient was supplied to Premier from a reputable UK source, whothemselves had been supplied by another UK company. Premier received writtenassurance that the Chilli Powder did not contain Sudan 1. We believe the responsibility for any financial costs associated with the recallwill rest with our suppliers and their insurers. In any event, the company isinsured against such eventualities. Sales by Premier Foods of the affected products amount to approximately £1million per annum. We have verified that all our current stock of raw materialsis free from contamination and there will be limited interruption to supply. ContactsPaul Thomas, Finance DirectorGwyn Tyley, Investor Relations ManagerPremier Foods plc Tel: 01727 815 850 Michael BerkeleySara BatchelorAnthony KennawayCitigate Dewe Rogerson Tel: 020 7638 9571 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
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