China is bringing in its first inspection standard for Sudan 1 after the recent discovery of the cancer-causing dye in Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in China.

There is currently no testing for the toxic dye and government officials have acknowledged that its departments are to blame for the lack.

Li Changjiang is the director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

"Some of the current standard levels are low. For some substances like Sudan 1, we don't even have inspection standards," said Li. 

According to a report from the Guangzhou Heinz Company, whose chili products were also found to contain Sudan 1, its products meet all the current national inspection criteria.

China is now going to use similar inspection standards for Sudan 1 to those used by the European Union. The Standardization Administration is working on an official national standard, expected to come out next month.

China began inspections for the dye in February, following the European scare. KFC, Heinz and many established Chinese food manufacturers have been found to have used the dangerous dye.

Sudan 1 was identified as a cancer-causing substance in 1995 and has been banned in China since 1996. But with no official inspection standard for the substance, there's been no testing for nearly a decade.

Editor: Olivia