Artificial colours and hyperactivity: food industry statements
Monday 17 September 2007
The Agency has recently updated its advice on certain artificial food colours. As part of giving parents further information, food industry bodies have given the FSA statements identifying steps they are taking and provided links to their websites.
The Agency's advice to parents follows the publication of an FSA-commissioned study by Southampton University.
The research suggests that eating or drinking certain mixes of Sunset yellow (E110), Quinoline yellow (E104), Carmoisine (E122), Allura red (E129), Tartrazine (E102) and Ponceau 4R (E124) - together with the preservative sodium benzoate, could be linked to a negative effect on children’s behaviour.
The research was evaluated by the independent Committee on Toxicity (COT).
This page will be updated as more statements and links are supplied to the Agency.
The Food Standards Agency has no responsibility for the content of external websites.
Gill Fine, the Agency's Director of Consumer Choice and Dietary Health, said: 'It’s quite clear that parents need more help to follow the FSA’s advice on certain artificial food colours.
'That’s why we have asked the food industry to provide more information about products containing these colours as soon as possible. They have agreed to do this and the FSA will be providing links to their information from a dedicated page on our website. This is a good first step but it’s clear that more needs to be done to enable consumers to make informed choices.'
Statements to consumers and website links
British Retail Consortium (BRC)
'The BRC represents the major food retailers in the UK,and all our members have made enormous progress in recent years, responding to customer demand to eliminate artificial colours from their own brand products. Virtually no own-brand products still contain these colours and they are not in dedicated children’s’ ranges. In the small number of products that still contain artificial colours, retailers continue to research alternative solutions that deliver the same quality expected by customers. Some retailers have taken the option to withdraw those products for which alternative colours have not been identified.'
Additives update from Marks and Spencer
Additives and colourings update from Sainsbury's
British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA)
'The British Soft Drinks Association can confirm that the vast majority of products produced by our members and enjoyed by young children do not include the colours identified in the study. The industry is progressively removing the colours concerned from the products it produces for young children. Research into reformulation is ongoing and we will continue to keep the FSA and the public informed.
All of our members’ products are clearly labelled and adhere to strict European safety standards. We support the FSA’s decision for this study to be considered by the European Food Safety Authority as part of its overall review of food additives. BSDA will continue to work with the FSA and other industry bodies to ensure that you can continue to choose from a wide range of products and enjoy them with confidence.
The BSDA has set up a dedicated website page for consumers. This includes links to all of our members' websites so you can find out more about particular products and contact details for their customer service teams.'
The British Soft Drinks Association represents UK producers of soft drinks, including carbonated drinks, still and dilutable drinks, fruit juices and bottled waters.
Food and Drink Federation (FDF)
'Food and drink manufacturers are well aware of your concerns about artificial additives, particularly when used in some children’s products, and have been changing their products in recent years to remove them.
There’s a massive amount of work underway. You can see this from the huge numbers of products on shop shelves now clearly stating that they are made without artificial additives. Independent research from Mintel confirms this has been the biggest trend in new product development in the UK since 2003. So far this year, 24% of all products launched were free of artificial additives.
As a result of all this activity, the industry’s use of the colours highlighted in the FSA’s study has fallen dramatically since 2003 – by as much as 90%, according to one estimate – and our reformulation work continues.
Following the FSA’s statement, parents will be most concerned about whether those particular colours are being used in products popular with children. In fact, many products have already stopped using them altogether.
Visit the Additives in food page on our website to see what food and drink companies are doing, as well as to get more information about the role of additives and the way in which their use is strictly controlled.'
The Food and Drink Federation's membership comprises manufacturers of all sizes as well as trade associations and groups dealing with specific sectors of the food industry.