Corner shops, mini-marts and small food outlets are being targeted to ensure they know about food products contaminated with the illegal carcinogenic colourant, Sudan Red 1.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FCAI) chief executive, Dr John O'Brien, said he hoped there were no more products on the shelves in shops and in consumers' homes.
"Our latest step is that we're cross-checking the small outlets, the mini-marts, the corner shops, and making sure the message has got out to them," he said.
Large stores and supermarkets were aware and would be well informed about such developments, but when it came to small outlets there were a few blank spots left, he said.
"We are getting the word out through the Environmental Health Service and the Health Service Executives, and officers are doing spots checks," he said.
The primary onus was on the distributors, he added. Small outlets should dispose of the food or return it to the distributor.
Dr O'Brien said the FCAI had been inundated with calls to its helplines and hits on its website from consumers concerned about the products.
"Clearly consumers need reassurance. We have to make sure every consumer gets the message. The risk is very low, but even so we adopt a zero-tolerance attitude to any illegal additives," he said.
Testing had been going on in Ireland for Sudan 1 since 2003 in chilli powder products and extracts.
What made this different was that it was added to Worcester sauce and found its way into other products.
The importation took place into the UK, and the manufacturers should have checked.
"Questions have to be answered. The facts will emerge. A lot of questions have to be answered, for instance, on how long the product was in use," Dr O'Brien said.
Sudan Red 1 is an industrial dye normally used for colouring solvents, wax, petrol and floor and shoe polish. It has been banned for use in food since 2003 after it was found to have carcinogenic properties.
The current food scare originates from a contaminated batch of chilli powder imported to Britain from India and used by Premier Foods (UK) in the manufacture of Worcester sauce.
The sauce was supplied to a number of branded companies and to the manufacturers of other food products, such as ready-made meals, soups, crisps and popular convenience foods including Pot Noodle, Cross and Blackwell Worcester sauce and a number of ready-made meals by Tesco, Heinz, Iceland and Bird's Eye.
Yesterday a Labour TD, Ms Mary Upton, said the hazards associated with the globalisation of foods had been dramatically highlighted. She said the FSAI needed to be given the financial supports and personnel to detect banned substances and prevent the recurrence of such events.
However, Dr O'Brien said that in this case the onus was on the country where the products were imported to test and analyse them.