Overseal Natural Ingredients has perfected a range of naturally sourced alternatives to Red 2G, the red pigment that was banned by the European Commission in July last year.

Overseal's replacements for Red 2G, which was used to colour products such as breakfast sausage, burger meat and savoury seasonings, include a range of carmine-on-salt products, carmine powders and carmine/beetroot blends. Carmine is extracted by boiling certain dried insects, such as the cochineal beetle.

Overseal md Andrew Wainwright says sales have rocketed in the wake of the scandal involving Red 2G, which was linked to the production of a carcinogen in the body.

"We have seen significant increases in demand [for these products] and increased volumes of existing products since then," says Wainwright.

The company says all of its colour formulations comply with the purity criteria as laid out in EC directive 95/45.

Overseal is offering advice to processors on colour performance, the potential interactions between ingredients, as well as specific processing methods.

Contact: Overseal Natural Ingredients; Tel: 01283 224221