The Department of Health has given Robertson’s Peri-Peri the go ahead to be returned to supermarket shelves.

As one of the largest and most reputable FMCG companies internationally, whose toppriority is the safety and health of its consumers, Unilever was shocked at the report by the Sunday Times that it’s products were contaminated with the banned Sudan Red.

This week, samples of Robertsons Peri-Peri 48g refill, from the same batch and packed within a minute of the implicated sample tested by the Sunday Times, were rigorously tested by both the Department of Health laboratories and Ampath, an independent, industry recommended laboratory, and in both instances the samples were found to be Sudan Red-free.

Despite this double confirmation of the uncontaminated status of Robertson’s Peri-Peri which solidly upholds our reputation, Unilever will continue to investigate until it gets a full understanding of the variance prompted by the Sunday Times test result.

Unilever’s strict quality control procedure already showed that for the implicated batch of peri-peri produced in November 2005:

Unilever had the certificates from the Indian Spice board that the raw materials are free of Sudan Red. Unilever had further tested the same raw material batches with Ampath, an independent, industry recommended laboratory in South Africa and the result was free of Sudan Red. Unilever had also tested 17 different final products with Ampath using the same raw materials as that batch, and the results were also free of Sudan Red.  

“When the Sunday Times informed us of its test results, we wasted no time in instituting further tests to confirm the product was free of Sudan Red”.

“We immediately informed the Department of Health, and now with their test

results showing our product is free Sudan Red, it vindicates the veracity of our independenttest result,” said Christine Broadhurst, Unilever spokesperson

Mr Volker Schillack, Senior Analytical Scientist from Ampath Laboratory confirmed, “We have been conducting Sudan Red analysis for Unilever and since the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) mandated that foodstuffs should be Sudan Red-Free by July 2005, Ampath has not found Sudan Red present in a single Unilever product or raw material since then.”

Broadhurst added: “All these exhaustive test results together with the Sudan Red-free clearance certificates from raw materials supplier, the Indian Spice Board, should give any concerned consumers confidence about Unilever’s adherence to safety standards”.

In the past two years Unilever has been completely committed to creating a Sudan Red-free South Africa. All raw materials that can potentially contain Sudan Red are rigorously tested before use to fully ensure that they are completely safe.

Unilever has also played an instrumental role working with the CGCSA in the development of the Food Safety Initiative.

CGCSA spokesperson Dr Lucia Anelich said: “Unilever, working closely with the CGCSA at the height of the Sudan Red scare two years ago, was instrumental in putting in place a testing and certificate regime to stamp out Sudan Red contamination.

“The Food Safety Initiative of the CGCSA commends Unilever for again acting swiftly to clear any doubts about the safety of its products, thereby restoring consumer confidence.”

Consumers can contact Unilever’s call centre on 860331441 for further information.