A sweet shop owner in Aberdeen has reassured customers that its imported food items from the United States are in line with UK standards.
Louise Dawson – who has owned Wowzie since 2008 – reacted to recent “negative reports” in the press, which has seen Trading Standards officials crack down on shops selling sweets that have banned ingredients in them.
She said this has been “very confusing and inconsistent” which has “caused obvious concern for the public”.
Sweets imported from the US including Jolly Ranchers, Lemon Heads and Swedish Fish, as well as the drink Mountain Dew can have “illegal” contents in them.
Some Jolly Ranchers and Swedish Fish contain mineral oil in them, which is banned in the UK.
Imported Mountain Dew from the US was also found to contain the banned Calcium Disodium EDTA.
Mrs Dawson told customers that all of her products sold are “safe for sale” and are “constantly monitored in order to ensure best practises are followed at all times”.
She said: “For the past few months we have been working closely with both Trading Standards and food safety consultants on the topic of mineral oil and its uses on some items of confectionery imported from the USA.
Aberdeen sweet shop has ‘always passed any inspection’
“We will continue to closely monitor all of our products and as previously stated with products such as Swedish Fish, we will always inform any customers on any changes to products purchased that are no longer allowed to be sold within the UK.”
Wowzie, which is located on St Andrew Street in Aberdeen city centre, imports its products through UK agents and directly via their Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number.
Mrs Dawson told The P&J: “We have been visited and checked by Trading Standards and also inspected by environmental health.
“We have always passed any inspection and are happy to work with these agencies to ensure our service and products are correct and safe for our valuable customers.”
The business owner also thinks that the “buck” should stop at government agencies who give the green light for goods and products to enter the country.
She also said the importers of these products need to take some responsibility as well: “They are the people who have the best access to ingredients and are responsible for the goods they are profiting from.
“I appreciate that retailers have responsibilities too but purchasing goods in good faith from reputable importers is not something you doubt at the time of purchase.”
‘Avoid food products that are not meant to be sold in the UK’
A spokesman for Food Standards Scotland (FSS) said: “There are strict rules regarding the use of additives, such as colours, flavourings and preservatives in food. Food additives must be assessed for safety prior to sale in Great Britain and used in line with any conditions set by the law.
“We know there is a problem with imported drinks, sweets, breakfast cereals and baked goods and we’re working with local authorities to protect consumers. At the moment we advise consumers to avoid food products that are not meant to be sold in the UK due to the possibility of allergens that are not declared on the label or unauthorised ingredients.
“Some additives aren’t authorised here, and some might be classed as safe for the UK, but not at the higher levels in these products. FSS will inform consumers if there is a food safety risk through food alerts which are published on our website (foodstandards.gov.scot) and anyone can sign up to receive these as soon as they are published.”
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