Answer the following questions.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Carcinogenic Dye in Hundreds of Food Products
A. More than 350 food products were swept off supermarket shelves yesterday in the biggest safety scare since the BSE crisis. Fresh and canned foods, ready meals and cooking sauces were removed from sale on the orders of government food watch-dogs after the chance discovery in Italy 11 days ago of an illegal, potentially cancer-causing dye ingredient in a bottle of Crosse & Blackwell Worcester sauce.
B. All the foods affected came from one supplier, Premier Foods, which said it had been advised by the Food Standards Agency that the levels of the dye Sudan 1 that had been detected "present no immediate risk to health”. The alert relates to 357 products with Worcester sauce flavouring, and the figure may rise. It follows 18 months of more low-level warnings involving 200 products — including pickles, cooking oils and sauces — to consumers, retailers, manufacturers and importers over the inclusion of the dye, which is banned in Europe. But it is used in some very long-life foods and in many cases is thought to involve batches imported before a toughening of checks in July 2004.
C. The scale of the recall is likely to send shockwaves through the food industry. Consumers are demanding ever greater information about the food they eat and the uncomfortable truth is that the dye seems to have been present often at undetectable levels.
D. The food agency’s chief executive, Jon Bell, last night sought to reassure the public. "Sudan 1 could contribute to an increased risk of cancer. However, at the levels present, the risk is likely to be very small but it is sensible to avoid eating any more. There is no risk to immediate health.” Dr. Bell said: “'His agency is working with the industry to ensure that any remaining affected products are speedily removed. Because of the widespread use of this Worcester sauce to flavour other foods, we may find further affected products.”
E. Toxicology professor John Henry of St Mary's Hospital, London, said Sudan 1 “is very easy, cheap to manufacture. It has been present in shoes, used to colour petrol, chemicals, shoe polishes, things like that It is perfectly safe in these situations but to eat it is not an ideal thing.” “There is no evidence it has caused disease in humans ever. This is a precautionary measure. Because it causes cancer in some studies of animals, it is something you don’t want in your food. It is not an essential food product.”
F. Professor Tony Dayan, a former professor at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London, said: “The evidence all points to the fact it ought not to be in humans generally. I am not suggesting people should be extremely worried because they may have eaten what may or may not have been a contaminated product. The dose would have been extremely small but from a public health point of view or community view at large, you don’t want that potentially very dangerous material in an ordinary item of the diet.”
G. Shares in Premier on the London Stock Exchange fell 7.75p yesterday to 280p. There is a wide range of products involved. Richard Matthews, product liability expert at the law firm Ever sheds, said: “It is truly an industry problem, affecting all the major supermarkets.” “Premier and its ingredient suppliers will be concerned about their reputation ... not to mention the very large claims that may flow up the supply chain. There will also be queries as to why the quality control procedures did not detect the presence of Sudan 1.”
H. Premier Foods is said by the food agency to have obtained chilli powder used in the sauce from the Essex-based spice and herb specialist Unbar Rothon, which in turn received it from East Anglian Food Ingredients. Premier Foods did not name its suppliers but said: “The ingredient was supplied to Premier from a reputable UK source, who themselves had been supplied by another UK company. Premier received written assurances that the chilli powder did not contain Sudan I.”
“We believe the responsibility for any financial costs associated with the recall will rest with our suppliers and their insurers."
What was the biggest food safety scare before the present one?
Give two examples of food containing a cancer-causing dye ingredient. and
Who issued the orders to remove the affected foods from sale?
In what way was the illegal ingredient detected?
Who is the supplier of the foods affected?
What is the name of the ingredient?
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Finding a previous event mentioned for comparison
Correct Answer: BSE CRISIS
Why this is correct: The passage directly compares the current situation with an earlier event. It clearly says this is the biggest safety scare since the BSE crisis, so that earlier scare is the answer.
Passage Reference: More than 350 food products were swept off supermarket shelves yesterday in the biggest safety scare since the BSE crisis.
Common Mistake: Some students write food safety scare or BSE only. This is a partial truth trap because the full name BSE crisis is needed and must match the passage exactly.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'since the BSE crisis' = Question: 'the biggest food safety scare before the present one'
Tips: When a question asks 'before', look for comparison words like since, after, or previous in the passage.
Key Vocabulary:
- crisis = very serious situation
- safety scare = fear about danger
Question Focus: Identifying examples from a list
Correct Answer: Fresh
Passage Reference: Fresh and canned foods, ready meals and cooking sauces were removed from sale
Why this is correct: The passage lists examples of affected foods. One example given is Fresh foods, which directly answers the question.
Common Mistake: Students may write fresh foods, but this breaks the word limit. This is a word limit trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'Fresh and canned foods' = Question: 'food containing a cancer-causing dye ingredient'
Tips: If the word limit is tight, copy only the exact word used in the passage.
Key Vocabulary:
- fresh = not preserved
- affected = impacted
Question Focus: Choosing another correct example from the same list
Correct Answer: canned foods
Passage Reference: Fresh and canned foods, ready meals and cooking sauces were removed
Why this is correct: The passage continues the list of affected products. Canned foods is one clear example mentioned.
Common Mistake: Some students repeat the same example twice. This is a question requirement trap because the question asks for two different examples.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'Fresh and canned foods, ready meals and cooking sauces' = Question: 'two examples of food containing a cancer-causing dye ingredient'
Tips: When a question asks for two examples, make sure they are different items from the list.
Key Vocabulary:
- canned = preserved in containers
- sauce = liquid food
Question Focus: Identifying who gave the order
Correct Answer: Government food watch-dogs
Passage Reference: were removed from sale on the orders of government food watch-dogs
Why this is correct: The passage clearly states the foods were removed on the orders of government food watch-dogs, which answers who issued the orders.
Common Mistake: Writing Food Standards Agency is tempting, but that appears later in a different context. This is a wrong section trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'on the orders of government food watch-dogs' = Question: 'Who issued the orders'
Tips: Answer exactly what the question asks. Do not jump to later paragraphs too quickly.
Key Vocabulary:
- watch-dogs = regulators
- issued = officially gave
Question Focus: Understanding how something happened
Correct Answer: By chance
Passage Reference: after the chance discovery in Italy 11 days ago of an illegal, potentially cancer-causing dye ingredient in a bottle of Crosse & Blackwell Worcester sauce.
Why this is correct: The passage says the dye was found through a chance discovery, meaning it was not planned. This matches by chance.
Common Mistake: Students may write accidentally, which changes the wording. This is a synonym trap because you must copy the passage wording.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'chance discovery' = Question: 'In what way was the illegal ingredient detected'
Tips: When the question asks 'how', look for adverbs or phrases explaining method.
Key Vocabulary:
- chance = luck
- detected = found
Question Focus: Identifying a company name
Correct Answer: Premier foods
Passage Reference: All the foods affected came from one supplier, Premier Foods
Why this is correct: The passage clearly states that all affected foods came from one supplier, Premier Foods.
Common Mistake: Some students write only Premier, which is incomplete. This is a partial truth trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'came from one supplier, Premier Foods' = Question: 'Who is the supplier of the foods affected'
Tips: For names, copy the full name exactly as it appears in the passage.
Key Vocabulary:
- supplier = provider
- affected = involved
Question Focus: Naming the illegal ingredient
Correct Answer: Sudan
Passage Reference: the levels of the dye Sudan 1
Why this is correct: The passage names the dye as Sudan 1. The accepted answer here is Sudan, which stays within the word limit.
Common Mistake: Writing Sudan 1 dye uses too many words. This is a word limit trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'the dye Sudan 1' = Question: 'What is the name of the ingredient'
Tips: If a name includes numbers, check the word limit carefully before copying everything.
Key Vocabulary:
- dye = coloring substance
- ingredient = component
General Tips:
- Summary and note completion questions follow passage order. Use the answer to one gap to help you locate the next.
- Always copy the exact word or words from the passage. Do not replace them with synonyms.
- Check the word limit for every gap. Extra words make the answer wrong, even if the meaning is correct.
- Look at grammar clues around the gap to decide if you need a noun, verb, or phrase.
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