The state quality watchdog yesterday announced it discovered the cancer-causing Sudan I in 88 kinds of food and food additives produced by 30 domestic companies.
The State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine made public a list of contaminated foods and their producers on its Website.
The inspection was carried out in a total of 18 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities across the country on pepper sauce, pepper oil, spicy preserved food and spicy instant noodles.
The 30 companies were mostly based in Guangdong Province, Jiangsu Province and Shanghai, the source said.
The red dye was first discovered early last month in a pepper sauce made by a Heinz subsidiary, the Heinz Meiweiyuan Food Co, which is based in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong.
The agency required local quality inspection departments to destroy the contaminated products immediately.
The agency also instructed all companies producing pepper products to strengthen self-checks of their product formulas, raw materials and final products.
The State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine will also carry out inspections in other provinces. It will intensify efforts to examine industrial companies that produce Sudan I and prevent it from entering the food industry, said the source.