12 Oct 2007

PUTRAJAYA: A substance used to enhance the colour of burgers and sausages has been banned with immediate effect. 

The Health Ministry banned the colouring, Red 2G, from being used in all types of food because recent studies by the European Union found that it could endanger the health of humans. The EU banned the colouring on July 27.

“Experiments showed that Red 2G can destroy the genetic material in cells and cause cancer,” Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said in a statement yesterday. 

He said food containing the chemical which was still on the market was allowed to be sold based on certain conditions.