Effects of artificial colours on children's behaviour   

New research into the possible effects of artificial food colours on children’s behaviour was published on 6 September, 2007 in the medical journal The Lancet. This study has been reviewed by experts in the United Kingdom and is described by the Food Standards Agency as a helpful additional contribution to our knowledge on the possible effects of artificial food colours on children’s behaviour.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has been aware of the study and we have been examining it, as have other food agencies around the world. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) convened a panel of experts with expertise in behaviour, child psychiatry, allergy and statistics to consider the study. EFSA concluded that the study provided limited evidence that the mixtures of colours and sodium benzoate had an effect on the activity and attention of children in the general population and that there was not enough evidence to change the current limits or use of these additives.

The food colours in the UK study are approved as safe in Australia. We also know from the 2006 FSANZ study of added colours in food that Australian food manufacturers use these colours in much lower levels that those used in the UK study.

We are also in the process of estimating the amounts of these colours that are consumed by Australian children. When the results of the 2007 national nutrition survey of children aged 2-16 years (Kids Eat Kids Play) are made available to FSANZ, they can be used in any future risk assessments of these colours.

FSANZ does recognise that adverse reactions to foods and food additives occur in a small proportion of the population. These reactions are not the same as allergies but may include rashes and swelling of the skin, irritable bowel symptoms, behavioural changes in children and headaches.

Additives (including colours) may not be included in foods unless they are approved and included in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.Food additiveswhich are in a food or drink to perform a function must be identified on the label with either its name or its specific code number.  

Parents can use this information to identify when the additives included in this study are in their child’s diet , but it should not be assumed that simply taking these additives out of a child’s diet will eliminate these symptoms. If you think you or your child has a food intolerance we recommend you seek advice from a medical practitioner or accredited practising dietitian.

FSANZ has recently published “Choosing the Right Stuff - the official shoppers’ guide to food additives and labels, kilojoules and fat content” which is available in bookshops. This guide provides consumers with the information they need to purchase products that do not contain the food additives they wish to avoid. Lists of food additives are also available free from FSANZs website at:  http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/newsroom/publications/choosingtherightstuff/index.cfm

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority has also produced a pocket sized booklet entitled ‘Identifying Food Additives’.