ADA is approved as a safe ingredient by the Department of Health and other international regulatory authorities applying Codex Alimentarius, the international standard adopted in health regulations across the globe, including the United States, Canada and South Africa.
Notwithstanding the aforementioned, Pioneer Foods has elected to remove Azodicarbonamide (ADA), a flour treatment agent previously present in certain of its Sasko wheaten flour and bread products.
“We have removed ADA as part of a general bread quality improvement process which commenced a number of months ago,” said Lulu Khumalo Group Executive Corporate Affairs for Pioneer Foods.
ADA addition to white and brown bread flour was discontinued effective end April 2014. The flour corrector only applied to white and brown bread wheaten flour produced in the Eastern and Western Cape. Mainstream retail products such as self-raising and cake flour have never contained ADA and are therefore unaffected.
Further to the change in wheaten flour, ADA was also removed from all Sasko bread products as of 21 May this year.
“Pioneer Foods prides itself in the quality and safety of its products through diligent compliance with relevant food and labelling regulations and will continue to deliver products of the highest quality to our consumers,” said Khumalo.