Kirsten Davies, associate director of Razor, said: “The trend is clear: the court of public opinion will in the future dish out far harsher punishment than any legal court in terms of damage to reputation and resulting impact on the bottom line: a reputation already tarnished by years of food scares, accusations of irresponsible marketing and allegations about the poor or misleading nutritional value of many processed foods.
“There is a lot of work to do to regain public faith. Only those who diligently and consistently communicate and demonstrate ultra-transparency can hope to win. And now, thanks to a pervasive red dye, the challenge of reputation and brand management has just got even tougher.”
Almost 500 products have now been listed by the Food Standards Agency as containing Sudan 1, the potentially carcinogenic banned dye found in a chilli powder used by Premier Foods to make a batch of Crosse & Blackwell Worcester sauce. The product was subsequently used to make several ready meals, soups, salad products and crisps. Products containing another dye, Sudan 4, have also been recalled.
