Beijing has banned sales of some salted duck eggs suspected of
containing a possibly carcinogenic red dye, the municipal
authorities confirmed on Monday.
A comparison of
yellow-yolk and red-yolk salted duck eggs.
Officials have begun to seize stocks of red-yolk salted duck
eggs for testing after some were suspected of containing the
industrial dye, Sudan-IV.
"Sales of all red-yolk salted duck eggs from neighboring Hebei
Province have been banned temporarily in markets, shopping malls
and stores," said a spokeswoman surnamed Wang with the Beijing
Administration of Industry and Commerce.
Test results would be published when the administration had
finished collecting samples and conducting the tests, she said.
Red-yolk salted duck eggs are commonly thought to be more
nutritious than yellow-yolk eggs and are usually more
expensive.
(Xinhua News Agency November 13, 2006)
