Food Additives

Are you aware of what’s in your children’s foods?  Did you know that some of the additives commonly found in children’s foods in Ireland are banned in other countries? 

Artificial additives are commonly found in children’s foods, and include quinoline yellow (E104), brilliant blue (E133), aspartame (E951) and saccharin (E 954).  The average children’s snack contains five or more artificial additives. 

Research has shown that artificial food additives may be linked to hyperactivity, asthma, obesity, and to more serious conditions like cancer and nerve cell damage.  Many countries have already imposed bans on some of the additives mentioned above.  The artificial sweetener saccharin is already banned in 5 EU countries, and many artificial colourings have been variously banned in the USA, Norway, Austria, Sweden, Japan, Canada and Australia. 

We think that food for children should not contain these artificial chemical additives. They provide no benefits to the consumer, and research shows that they can be harmful to health. Very little is known about the long-term impacts of these substances - using these additives in children's food amounts to a long-term experiment on children's health.