Britain has a set a deadline of Thursday morning for the country’s food industry to remove 420 products containing an illegal dye that could lead to an increased risk of cancer.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) published a list last week of products containing the dye Sudan 1, which included crisps, ready-made lasagna and soups.

Supermarkets including Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, Somerfield, Asda, Tesco, Iceland and Waitrose and manufacturers such as Heinz and McCormick have been hit by the scare.

The Thursday morning deadline includes food businesses notifying the agency of affected products and starting the withdrawal of food.

An FSA spokesman said companies who fail to comply face fines and that local council officials will be making inspections.

Sudan 1 is normally used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol and polishes and has been banned from food in Britain and the EU for a number of years.

The FSA said while the cancer risk is small, experts believe the dye is thought to contribute to cancer and consumers should not be unnecessarily exposed.

The Sudan scare came about when the watchdog discovered the dye was in a batch of chili powder used to manufacture Worcester sauce, which was then placed in a number of food products.

A full list of affected foods is provided at http://www.food.gov.uk/sudanlist.