BEIJING -- China has detained a man for his role in the sale of contaminated red-yolk duck eggs, said the Ministry of Agriculture.

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Police in northern China's Hebei province has detained Zhu Laiyong who sold Sudan-IV, the carcinogenic industrial red dye, to poultry farmers who had mixed the dye with feed.

The investigation found Zhu managed to sell the red dye to poultry farmers after he promised to purchase contaminated red-yolk duck eggs at higher price. The man is pending criminal charges.

The ministry said seven farms in Hebei province and one farm in eastern China's Zhejiang province were found using the cancer-causing colorant, Sudan. And no feed producers were found using Sudan.

The duck egg contamination scandal has caused national concern over the food safety problem and the government is speeding up the pace to set up systems for the recall and traceability of problematic food.