Warning over ‘cancer-causing’ sweets

Illegal and potentially cancer-causing colours have been found in traditional Asian sweets in West Yorkshire according to Trading Standards.
Latest news...Latest news...
Latest news...

West Yorkshire Trading Standards is warning consumers and businesses to be on the look out for the sweets containing the illegal dyes, which are brightly coloured fluorescent pink or yellow, and are particularly attractive to children.

Samples of Asian sweets were taken from a number of outlets across West Yorkshire and tested. Dyes called Rhodamine-B and Auramine were found. Rhodamine B is commonly used to stain slides in laboratories, and is used in the sewage industry to test for leaks in drains.

Auramine is also commonly used to stain laboratory slides.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Current investigations indicate that the products containing this ingredient are not coming from a single supplier.

Under UV light the illegal dyes will fluoresce.

Businesses are urged to contact their suppliers and remove the products from sale immediately if the dyes are found to be among the ingredients.

Councillor Ros Lund, chairwoman of the West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee, which oversees the work of Trading Standards, said: “These brightly coloured sweets, made from milk and sugar, are especially attractive to children therefore, in order to protect their health, it is important they are removed from sale.”

Anyone with concerns about these products, should call 08545 040506.

Related topics: