Call For EU Ban On Food Colourings Linked To Hyperactivity

The European Food Standards Agency is to conduct further research into the possible link between six food colourings and hyperactivity in children, following calls from 42 organisations across Europe for the European Commission to suspend their use.

The link was first suggested in September 2007 in the medical magazine The Lancet, following a study by Southampton University. Some food and drink manufacturers have already stopped using the colourings, in response to widespread concern among consumer groups and in the media.

The UK Food Standard Agency has already recommended a voluntary ban by manufacturers to take effect from 2009, on the basis that the food colourings carry a number of risks but offer no real benefit. Other countries, such as Denmark, have also taken action.