AFGC says calls for artificial colour bans are based on “flawed research”
The Australian Food and Grocery Council, Australia’s peak food and grocery manufacturing industry association, has said that calls from the NSW Greens for the banning of a number of food additives are based on flawed research and not on sound science.
A “Kids First Campaign” – a combined initiative of Additive Alert, FIN and Additive Education – was launched yesterday and they are leading the calls for FSANZ to ban the colours in Australia.
AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell said that while a one-off study by Southampton University implied that there may be a link between a number of food additives and childhood behavioural disorders, a subsequent review of the research had dismissed the findings. “In March 2008, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found that claims made by Southampton University that certain food colour additives resulted in increased instances of hyperactivity in children were weak,” she noted.
The AFGC highlighted that findings from the EFSA report included:
“The Panel concludes that the McCann et al. study provides limited evidence that the two different mixtures of synthetic colours and sodium benzoate tested had a small and statistically significant effect on activity and attention in children…”
– And –
“…The Panel concludes that the findings of the study cannot be used as a basis for altering the ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake) of the respective food colours or sodium benzoate.”
“The European Food Safety Authority’s findings demonstrate the Greens’ concerns are ultimately unjustified,” Ms Carnell suggested. “Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) has since backed up the European regulator’s findings.”
“The food industry is continuing to respond positively to all diet related health concerns and looks forward to continuing to work with governments, parents and health professionals to address this very important issue through the promotion of healthier eating habits and increased consumer education,” Ms Carnell concluded.
A phase out of six food colours is to be completed in the UK, with the European Parliament recently voting in favour of labelling foods containing the six colours (E110, E104, E122, E129, E102 and E124) with the words “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”. A ban on the colours is not currently planned in Europe due to their belief that the Southampton findings did not prove a causal relationship.
I believe there is also some controversy about one of the members of the EU committee regarding a conflict of interest because she also does work for Tesco’s and Unilever who would both use these additives in their products.
It is interesting that the AFCG don’t refer to the Southhampton report directly or its claims but instead quote someone else’s analysis… the reporting here does nothing to help expose the facts.
The fact that the UK banned them and parenting groups have anecdotally confirmed the findings suggest that more needs to be done. If you don’t believe the findings, can a neutral party please do some more tests. Forgive me if I don’t believe multi-national food producers.
Personally our son has responded very well (read greatly increased attention span and reduced “restlessness”) to removal of these colours, at the same time as removing other additives/preservatives. So which is at fault, who knows, but greatly reducing all, may go a long way to improve general children health.
Parents whose children are driving them nuts or not doing well at school are now being encouraged to remove at least the worst of the additives from their children’s diets with great and widespread success.
It seems so many food manufacturers and supermarkets must be run by old blokes or single women who have no children. They underestimate to what lengths parents will go to protect their kids from perceived dangers. These colours and other bad additives are the greatest perceived dangers facing parents today.
Manufacturers who listen to their customers and replace the artificial colours with natural ones will be the long term winners in the race for the customers dollar.
I am a manufacturer and a parent and I have listened and the advantage I have over my larger competitors is huge.