Artificial food colours are set to be removed from hundreds of products after a team of university researchers warned they were doing as much damage to children's brains as lead in petrol.
Academics at Southampton University, who carried out an official study into seven additives for the Food Standards Agency (FSA), said children's intelligence was being significantly damaged by E-numbers. After receiving the advice last month, officials at the FSA have advised their directors to call for the food industry to remove six additives named in the study by the end of next year.
The advice, which will be put before the FSA board next week, would be voluntary. However, manufacturers would be expected by the regulator to remove the additives, replacing them with natural alternatives if possible. Some sweetmakers have unilaterally agreed to remove the suspect colours following the latest scientific evidence.
Researchers have linked E-numbers to behavioural problems since the 1970s but the debate has intensified after the Southampton study, published last September, found that seven additives such as sunset yellow (E110) and tartrazine (E102) were causing temper tantrums among normal children.
The FSA, which funded the £750,000 study, was criticised by health groups for failing to ban the additives after taking the advice of the Committee on Toxicology, which said they had only a moderate effect on some children.
Source - Independent
Showing posts with label food additives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food additives. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
EU rejects plea to outlaw 'dangerous' food colours that lead to hyperactive children
EU food chiefs have rejected calls to ban additives which trigger hyperactive behaviour in children.
The decision has appalled UK campaigners who insist millions of youngsters will be left exposed to harm.
A link between hyperactive behaviour and the substances used to colour sweets, drinks and medicines was established in a British study published last year. University of Southampton researchers warned the additives "damage the psychological health" of children. The study was funded and designed by scientists from Britain's Food Standards Agency.
However, the European Food Safety Authority has decided flaws in the way the research was drawn up mean it does not offer definitive evidence of a risk to the general population. This means there is no legal reason for manufacturers to remove the suspect additives.
Products known to include the additives range from Cadbury Creme Eggs to Fanta and Calpol.
The Southampton research team is adamant it identified "significant adverse effects" among healthy children given drinks containing a cocktail of additives.
The campaigning food and health group, Sustain, condemned the European authority's stance and called on Britain to impose a unilateral ban. Campaigns director Richard Watts said: "No one now disputes these artificial additives pose a threat to children's health and well being. Given EFSA has let down consumers, our own FSA must now act to remove them from the food chain."
The additives linked to hyperactive behaviour are the colours Tartrazine (E102); Quinoline Yellow (E104); Sunset Yellow (E110); Carmoisine (E122); Ponceau 4R (E124); and Allura Red (E129). The preservative Sodium Benzoate(E211) is also implicated.
The authority found the study "provided limited evidence that the mixtures of additives tested had a small effect on the activity and attention of some children". But it cited "considerable uncertainties", including a lack of consistency and the absence of information-on the clinical significance of the behaviour changes observed.
The findings amount to an indictment of the FSA, which appears to have failed to ensure the research was properly designed.
Source - Daily Mail
The decision has appalled UK campaigners who insist millions of youngsters will be left exposed to harm.
A link between hyperactive behaviour and the substances used to colour sweets, drinks and medicines was established in a British study published last year. University of Southampton researchers warned the additives "damage the psychological health" of children. The study was funded and designed by scientists from Britain's Food Standards Agency.
However, the European Food Safety Authority has decided flaws in the way the research was drawn up mean it does not offer definitive evidence of a risk to the general population. This means there is no legal reason for manufacturers to remove the suspect additives.
Products known to include the additives range from Cadbury Creme Eggs to Fanta and Calpol.
The Southampton research team is adamant it identified "significant adverse effects" among healthy children given drinks containing a cocktail of additives.
The campaigning food and health group, Sustain, condemned the European authority's stance and called on Britain to impose a unilateral ban. Campaigns director Richard Watts said: "No one now disputes these artificial additives pose a threat to children's health and well being. Given EFSA has let down consumers, our own FSA must now act to remove them from the food chain."
The additives linked to hyperactive behaviour are the colours Tartrazine (E102); Quinoline Yellow (E104); Sunset Yellow (E110); Carmoisine (E122); Ponceau 4R (E124); and Allura Red (E129). The preservative Sodium Benzoate(E211) is also implicated.
The authority found the study "provided limited evidence that the mixtures of additives tested had a small effect on the activity and attention of some children". But it cited "considerable uncertainties", including a lack of consistency and the absence of information-on the clinical significance of the behaviour changes observed.
The findings amount to an indictment of the FSA, which appears to have failed to ensure the research was properly designed.
Source - Daily Mail
Friday, February 29, 2008
Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health
A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage.
Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.
The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.
Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.
Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.
Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger.
Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria.
He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether. The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing."
Source - Independent
Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.
The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.
Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.
Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.
Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger.
Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the "power station" of cells known as the mitochondria.
He told The Independent on Sunday: "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether. The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing."
Source - Independent
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Harmful food additives that trigger hyperactive behaviour in children must be banned, say MPs
A legal ban on artificial food additives which trigger hyperactive behaviour in children has been demanded by peers and MPs from all parties.
The Parliamentary Food and Health Forum published a report arguing the action is vital to protect children's health. The committee highlighted research showing that the suspect additives can prevent children's bodies from absorbing nutrients which are key to physical and brain development, and pointed out that some are already banned in the US and some Scandinavian countries.
The politicians accused the Government's Food Standards Agency of failing adequately to protect youngsters from harm caused by the chemicals in sweets, cakes and drinks. They want the FSA to issue an immediate warning to all parents to avoid artificial colours and preservatives that have been identified as a risk.
The forum, chaired by Labour peer Lord Rea, a former GP, took evidence from the country's leading nutrition experts. Member Dr Ian Gibson MP, a former chairman of the Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology, said:
"The evidence that we got suggested there were harmful effects on behaviour. The FSA has got much more to do on this in terms of taking precautions to protect children. Food is not only important in the context of obesity, we also need to take account of the effects on behaviour.
The food industry has made some welcome voluntary measures to reduce additive use, but that is not enough. We need Government action."
Source - Daily Mail
The Parliamentary Food and Health Forum published a report arguing the action is vital to protect children's health. The committee highlighted research showing that the suspect additives can prevent children's bodies from absorbing nutrients which are key to physical and brain development, and pointed out that some are already banned in the US and some Scandinavian countries.
The politicians accused the Government's Food Standards Agency of failing adequately to protect youngsters from harm caused by the chemicals in sweets, cakes and drinks. They want the FSA to issue an immediate warning to all parents to avoid artificial colours and preservatives that have been identified as a risk.
The forum, chaired by Labour peer Lord Rea, a former GP, took evidence from the country's leading nutrition experts. Member Dr Ian Gibson MP, a former chairman of the Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology, said:
"The evidence that we got suggested there were harmful effects on behaviour. The FSA has got much more to do on this in terms of taking precautions to protect children. Food is not only important in the context of obesity, we also need to take account of the effects on behaviour.
The food industry has made some welcome voluntary measures to reduce additive use, but that is not enough. We need Government action."
Source - Daily Mail
Friday, November 30, 2007
Additives ' a risk to children's health'
Parents have been warned to remove food additives linked to hyperactive behaviour from children's diets by the EU's leading expert on the issue.
Dr John Larsen, who heads the European Food Safety Authority's panel on additives, said the measure would be "prudent" to protect youngsters' health.
His comments came as researchers at Southampton University warned that additives harm the "psychological health" of children, holding back their progress at school and their ability to learn to read at a young age.
The discovery has triggered calls from consumer and health groups for a total ban on additives.
At yesterday's EFSA conference in Brussels, Dr Larsen, a member of the Danish National Food Institute, said: "It would be prudent to take these out of the diet. It seems they may have this ability to worsen something that is going on. If parents think there might be a problem - such as with behaviour - they should try removing these additives."
Despite campaigners - including the Daily Mail - lobbying to have dangerous additives banned from foods, the Government has so far refused to do so.
However, the Foods Standards Agency has passed responsibility on a final decision to the EFSA and a panel headed by Dr Larsen.
Dr John Larsen, who heads the European Food Safety Authority's panel on additives, said the measure would be "prudent" to protect youngsters' health.
His comments came as researchers at Southampton University warned that additives harm the "psychological health" of children, holding back their progress at school and their ability to learn to read at a young age.
The discovery has triggered calls from consumer and health groups for a total ban on additives.
At yesterday's EFSA conference in Brussels, Dr Larsen, a member of the Danish National Food Institute, said: "It would be prudent to take these out of the diet. It seems they may have this ability to worsen something that is going on. If parents think there might be a problem - such as with behaviour - they should try removing these additives."
Despite campaigners - including the Daily Mail - lobbying to have dangerous additives banned from foods, the Government has so far refused to do so.
However, the Foods Standards Agency has passed responsibility on a final decision to the EFSA and a panel headed by Dr Larsen.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
'My son's diet made him hyperactive'
Helen Buniak describes her son Lee as a "Jekyll and Hyde" character. "He'd be a lovely, good little boy most of the time, but then he would become suddenly very aggressive, with these massive tantrums."
For the first eight years of his life, she said, she had no idea of the reason behind it. Then she noticed a coincidence.
Lee had five "episodes" in close succession, and Helen, from London, realised that each one had followed the birthday of a classmate - which meant the handing out of sweets by parents at the school gate. "I realised that there was something in those sweets that was making him behave like that," she says.
Complete change
No-one had mentioned the possibility that food additives or ingredients might be to blame, and she turned to the Hyperactive Children's Support Group for health.
They recommended a diet which involved removing foods which included additives, then gradually reintroducing them.
"Lee had a normal diet, but there were so many things that had additives - meat pies and bacon as well as sweets, fizzy drinks and crisps."
The effect was immediate, she says.
Source - BBC
For the first eight years of his life, she said, she had no idea of the reason behind it. Then she noticed a coincidence.
Lee had five "episodes" in close succession, and Helen, from London, realised that each one had followed the birthday of a classmate - which meant the handing out of sweets by parents at the school gate. "I realised that there was something in those sweets that was making him behave like that," she says.
Complete change
No-one had mentioned the possibility that food additives or ingredients might be to blame, and she turned to the Hyperactive Children's Support Group for health.
They recommended a diet which involved removing foods which included additives, then gradually reintroducing them.
"Lee had a normal diet, but there were so many things that had additives - meat pies and bacon as well as sweets, fizzy drinks and crisps."
The effect was immediate, she says.
Source - BBC
E-numbers 'can do psychological harm to children'
The food watchdog was accused yesterday of "chickening out" of tough action on additives.
In the face of unequivocal evidence of the potential harm to children, delivered in person by an eminent university researcher, the Food Standards Agency fudged a decision on what to do next.
Professor Jim Stevenson, author of a breakthrough study on additives, told the FSA board yesterday that additives used in thousands of sweets, cakes and processed foods "damage the psychological health of children".
His research at Southampton University found that healthy children become hyperactive after consuming a mix of artificial colours and preservatives. He made it clear that the evidence is strong enough to justify a ban under European law, which requires a country to show that a food product constitutes "a serious or imminent risk to human health".
Asked if the evidence shows a serious risk to human health, Professor Stevenson said: "I think in terms of psychological health it does. We know that hyperactivity in a young child is a risk factor for, for example, later difficulties in school. Certainly it is associated with difficulties in learning to read. It is also associated with wider behavioural difficulties in middle childhood, such as conduct disorder. "
"I feel that the effects we are seeing here are sufficiently great to represent a threat to health."
Source Daily Mail
In the face of unequivocal evidence of the potential harm to children, delivered in person by an eminent university researcher, the Food Standards Agency fudged a decision on what to do next.
Professor Jim Stevenson, author of a breakthrough study on additives, told the FSA board yesterday that additives used in thousands of sweets, cakes and processed foods "damage the psychological health of children".
His research at Southampton University found that healthy children become hyperactive after consuming a mix of artificial colours and preservatives. He made it clear that the evidence is strong enough to justify a ban under European law, which requires a country to show that a food product constitutes "a serious or imminent risk to human health".
Asked if the evidence shows a serious risk to human health, Professor Stevenson said: "I think in terms of psychological health it does. We know that hyperactivity in a young child is a risk factor for, for example, later difficulties in school. Certainly it is associated with difficulties in learning to read. It is also associated with wider behavioural difficulties in middle childhood, such as conduct disorder. "
"I feel that the effects we are seeing here are sufficiently great to represent a threat to health."
Source Daily Mail
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