FOOD manufacturers have asked regulators to consider keeping information about contaminated food from the public in future, enabling products to be secretly removed from the food chain.

Ten industry leaders tabled the proposal at a meeting with the Food Standards Agency to discuss what lessons could be learnt following the Sudan 1 crisis earlier this year.

The meeting was organised by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) after industry concern about the handling of the crisis surrounding the banned food dye. Hundreds of products were withdrawn from shelves after Sudan 1 was found in a range of foodstuffs.

According to the minutes of the meeting — which have been obtained by The Sunday Times under the Freedom of Information Act — the food industry raised concerns about the public recall.

The law requires manufacturers and retailers to publicly withdraw products if they are “injurious to health”. Hundreds of other products withdrawn under a scheme known as a “trade withdrawal” are rarely publicised.

“The FDF commented that the publicity surrounding a recall was a key concern and suggested that FSA needed to take a proportionate approach and secure removal of products from the food chain without the type of media headlines seen during the Worcester sauce incident,” said the minutes.

“In summary the chairman concluded that . . . a proportionate approach was needed by FSA in determining the most appropriate course of action in a particular incident: trade withdrawal or public recall.”

An FDF spokesman insisted that the industry was not seeking to keep anything secret.

The FSA said that the regulator “would always be open about any risk to public health”.

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