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ADDITIVES

HARMFUL ARTIFICIAL & NATURAL COLOURINGS

At least 15 colourings can provoke intolerant or allergic reactions in some people, producing asthma, migraine, eczema, urticaria (rashes) or hyperactivity. Certain colours have also produced questionable results in animal tests, such as thyroid and kidney damage. A child can consume between five and twenty different colourings during one meal. Yet colour additives have not been tested in the real-life cocktails in which we eat them.

Questionable and non-essential colours should be prohibited from foods commonly eaten by children, such as orange drinks, meat products, fish fingers, mayonnaise, ice cream, wafers. The table lists some of the colourings in use and the adverse effects that have been recorded.

Code	Name	Banned/Restricted in	Side effects
102	Tartrazine (Pesticide Active ingredient USA)	Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden Heavily restricted in Austria	Provokes asthma, rashes, hyperactivity in sensitive people. Could adversely affect digestive enzymes.
110	Sunset Yellow	Norway, Finland, Sweden	Provokes asthma, rashes, hyperactivity. Affected Kidneys of rats. Could adversely affect digestive enzymes.
120	Cochineal		Potentially toxic to embryos, hypersensitivity.
122	(Azorubine) Carmoisine	USA, Norway, Japan, Finland	Provokes asthma, rashes, hyperactivity, in sensitive people. Could adversely affect digestive enzymes.
123	Amaranth	USA, Soviet Union, Norway, Finland Heavily restricted in European Union ⁽¹⁾	Provokes asthma, rashes, hyperactivity, in sensitive people. Caused cancer and gene damage in some laboratory tests. Could adversely affect digestive enzymes.
124	Ponceau 4R	USA, Norway, Sweden, Canada	Provokes asthma, rashes, hyperactivity in sensitive people. Damaged genes in laboratory tests. Found to inhibit EFA's.
127	Erythrosine (Pesticide Active ingredient USA)	Norway, European Union ⁽¹⁾, Australia	May provoke asthma, rashes, hyperactivity in sensitive people. Caused thyroid damage/cancer in rats.
129	Allura Red AC	Norway, Finland, Austria	Provokes rashes in sensitive people.
132	Indigo Carmine	Norway	May provoke asthma, rashes, hyperactivity. Caused cancer and gene damage in some laboratory tests.
133	Brilliant Blue	Norway, Austria, Switzerland	Provokes rashes in sensitive people. Caused kidney tumours in animal tests.
142	Green S	Norway, USA, Japan, Canada	May Provoke asthma rashes and hyperactivity.
150	Caramels	UK. Government report of 1979 said some people consumed more than the recommended safe dose.	Some caramels reduce white blood cells in rats. May reduce vitamin B6.
151	Black PN	USA, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Canada	Provokes asthma, rashes, hyperactivity. High doses produce cysts in pigs. Could adversely affect digestive enzymes.
155	Brown HT	USA, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Japan	Provokes asthma, rashes and hyperactivity in sensitive people.
160b	Annatto	Restricted in European Union ⁽¹⁾	Provokes skin rashes in sensitive people. Safety tests inadequate.

^(1). European Union: United Kingdom and other Common Market countries.

Source: London Food Commission, Food Adulteration and How to Beat It, Unwin 1988.

June 2003