Warning, this food contains colours

DR PAULINE BALAAC senior lecturer in biology, School of Applies Sciences, University of Huddersfield

a health warning must now be put on all food or drink containing certain colours thought to cause hyperactivity in some children.

The warnings were introduced last month, following a study that showed some artificial colours in the diet caused hyperactivity in some children.

The six colours are: tartrazine (E102), quinoline yellow (E104), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), ponceau 4R (E124) and allura red (E129).

The “E” in the E numbers stands for Europe, meaning this is a Europe-wide directive. In the EU any food and drink containing any of the six colours (except drinks with more than 1.2 per cent alcohol) must now have a label stating that the colour “may have effects on activity and attention in children”.

Food and drink produced before July 20 will continue to be sold, so it could take some time for the warnings to reach shop shelves.

Hyperactivity is a general term to describe behavioural problems, poor learning and memory, movement, language, emotional responses and sleep patterns.

There is no single test for hyperactivity and there has been much speculation for many years as to whether food additives are responsible for hyperactivity in children and the increase in diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

ADHD is believed to be caused by a form of chemical imbalance in the brain, affecting attention, concentration and impulsiveness. About one child in every 20 is thought to have ADHD. If the E-numbers that cause hyperactivity can be avoided when shopping, this may help children with the disorder — many of the foods and drink concerned are aimed directly at youngsters, including sweets, fizzy drinks, desserts, cakes and convenience foods.

The Southampton study also found that the preservative sodium benzoate (E211), in combination with the artificial colours, increased hyperactivity. but because these findings weren’t as conclusive as for the colours themselves, no warning must be given. More research needs to be done.

E211, which is found in many soft drinks, pickles and sauces, raises concerns about other possible harmful effects. Sodium benzoate inhibits the growth of bacteria and moulds, but is only effective in acid conditions. The compound is thought to damage the mitochondrial DNA of living cells, which can contribute to the process of ageing. This and other food additives have also been linked to asthma.

Other E-numbers for children with asthma to avoid are the colours yellow G (E107) and green S (E142), and the preservatives calcium benzoate (E213), sodium sulphite (E221) and sulphur dioxide (E220).

These can trigger asthma attacks or make symptoms worse.

Some of these food additives can cause itchy rashes and the allergic reaction known as urticaria, sometimes called hives. It is like nettle rash, with dark red, raised itchy bumps.

So, what can we do to protect our children from the possible harmful effect of food additives?

One way is to prepare all food from scratch and prohibit commercially produced food altogether, which might seem a little drastic — particularly if your children exhibit no obvious symptoms.

If not, then parents should at least read the labels on packs and select brands containing less-harmful additives.

Many food companies have taken steps to replace artificial colours and preservatives in recent years, but it isn’t really possible to avoid E-numbers completely. Some E-numbers, for example, simply refer to naturally-occurring vitamins or plant extracts.

But would strawberry jelly still taste of strawberry, even if it wasn’t red? Does mint choc chip ice cream have to be bright green?

Maybe we could have a little less colour on our plates: we might expect certain foods to be particular colours, but we taste with our tongue, not our eyes.