Update on products free of colours associated with hyperactivity

The FSA has updated its list of product ranges that do not contain the six food colours associated with possible hyperactivity in young children. Another manufacturer and another caterer producing product lines free of the colours have been added to the list. The product lines of Yorvale Ltd and Tillery Valley Foods are free from the six colours.

The list includes companies that have product ranges that have never contained the six colours and companies that have reformulated their product ranges to remove the colours. The colours, identified by a Southampton University study financed by the Food Standards Agency, are:

• sunset yellow FCF (E110)
• quinoline yellow (E104)
• carmoisine (E122)
• allura red (E129)
• tartrazine (E102)
• ponceau 4R (E124)

The FSA is publicising the product ranges to encourage the food industry to participate in the voluntary ban. The voluntary ban was agreed by ministers in November 2008.

Consumers who are particularly concerned about the presence of the colours should continue to check labels, especially in the case of products with a long shelf-life, where the availability of reformulated products may vary.

Any food manufacturer, retailer or caterer wishing to notify the FSA that their brands or products are free of these colours should email the details to Benedict Duncan, at: [email protected]

The FSA’s website will be updated regularly as new information is provided.