The EU will soon require all foods containing six specified artificial colours - sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104) allura red (E129), carmoisine (E112) tartrazine (E102) ponceau 4R (E124) - to have warning labels on packaging due to their link in causing hyperactivity in children. The UK Food Standards Agency is asking food producers and manufacturers to voluntarily remove them altogether.Food companies will have two years to add labels such as "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children." Unfortunately imported food will not be required to follow the new EU labelling system so it's best to continue reading ingredient lists if you're concerned about the effects these colours have on your kids.
Beyond making kids hyper these colours may have other adverse effects on your family's health. Tartrazine, for example, can provoke asthma attacks and interfere with digestive enzymes.
With no real purpose other than to delight the eye and entice the kiddies, the quicker we see the back of these artificial colours the better.
