MEP’s Support Plans to Ban Unnecessary Colours in Children’s Foods and Drinks

**Last year's publication of the Southampton study, which linked certain
additives to hyperactivity, has fuelled national and international
debates on their use. Food additives are now well and truly in the
media spotlight with consumers demanding that action be taken to
restrict their unnecessary use.

The Southampton study, published in The Lancet last year, looked at the
effect of mixes of additives on a range of children aged between three
and nine and drawn from general population and across a range of
hyperactivity and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
severities.

Mix A contained sunset yellow, tartrazine, carmoisine, ponceau 4R and
sodium benzoate. Mix B contained sunset yellow, quinoline yellow,
carmoisine, allura red and sodium benzoate.

The researchers concluded that artificial food colours and additives
exacerbate hyperactive behaviour in children at least up to middle
childhood.

For anyone interested in the health of their children, it is welcome
news that now the EU Environment Committee has advised that sweeteners
and colourings in food aimed at children should be banned, while
additives should only be used if they provide an advantage to the consumer.

The new European proposal states that a food additive may be authorised
only /"if it is safe in use, if there is a technicological need for its
use, if its use does not mislead the consumer and if it has advantages
and benefits to him". /

In addition, /"food additives would be completely banned in unprocessed
food, as would sweeteners and colours in food for babies and small
children"/.

The proposals must now be agreed on by the plenary session of the
European Parliament in Strasbourg in July, and by the governments of the
member states.

Should the proposals be accepted and controls on the use of additives
made stricter, it could have far-reaching effects across the industry,
requiring huge investment in time and money to adapt products to meet
new regulations. Many companies have already started to take action as
a response to the growing concerns from consumers.

Lancet. 2007 Nov 3;370(9598):1524-5. /Food additives and hyperactive
behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a
randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. McCann D, Barrett
A, Cooper A, Crumpler D, Dalen L, Grimshaw K, Kitchin E, Lok K, Porteous
L, Prince E, Sonuga-Barke E, Warner JO, Stevenson J./ School of
Psychology, Department of Child Health, University of Southampton,
Southampton, UK.

From the Nutri Supplement, issue 101