Call to ban six food additives

A coalition of food, environment and children's campaigners has called on the Food Standards Agency to ban additives linked to hyperactivity in children.

They accuse the watchdog of failing to "follow its remit" of protecting the public's health and consumers' interests in relation to food.

In an open letter to the Food Standards Agency, the coalition calls on the watchdog to issue advice that all children should avoid the seven E numbers.

At present, the FSA only advises that children showing signs of hyperactivity should avoid them.

The calls follow recent Southampton University research which showed links between six food colourings and one preservative and hyperactive behaviour in youngsters.

The letter was co-ordinated by the Children's Food Campaign and signed by a raft of organisations including the National Union of Teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the National Children's Bureau, the National Family and Parenting Institute, the Royal Society of Health and Friends of the Earth.

It accuses the FSA of: "... giving the benefit of the doubt to the food and chemical companies rather than to consumers, or the protection of public health."

"We believe the FSA failed to follow its remit to protect the public's health and consumer interests in relation to food," the letter says.

"Given the strength of the evidence and the wide range of food and drink affected (including unlabelled products), we believe it is not reasonable to place the burden of avoiding these artificial additives on consumers."

The letter calls on the FSA to extend its advice in relation to the six food colourings and one preservative so that it applies to all children - not just those showing signs of hyperactivity - and calls for the UK to ban them.

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