Additive dangers in food

New research reveals today the full dangers of additives in our food and drink.

A study by the Consumer Association shows how unappetising additives in regular use include wood chip, chalk and pigment from dried insect bodies.

Consumer watchdogs claimed many food labels read 'more like a chemistry experiment than something you'd want to eat' and called for far clearer labelling.

Foods highlighted in the study include Golden Wonder crispy bacon Wheat Crunchies, which contain flavourings and colouring but no bacon; Rowntree's sugar-free strawberry flavour jelly, which contains no strawberries, and Calypso Freezepops, which contain a raft of flavourings, stabilisers, preservatives and sweeteners.

Millions of shoppers try to avoid products with artificial flavourings and preservatives amid mounting health fears. One third of the 2000 people surveyed by Consumer Which? magazine said they did not want these foods.

Additives have been linked to skin rashes, asthma attacks, headaches, behaviour problems and even brain tumours.

But offenders - many of them foodstuffs targeted at children - contain them, often listed as E numbers and used as a substitute for 'real' ingredients.

Amanda Bristow, who compiled the report, said: 'Food additives can be labelled with either their E number, or their chemical name, or both. It is no surprise that most people we asked could not identify all the additives on an ingredients list.'

Health groups reacted with dismay, warning that certain additives could trigger devastating allergies and illnesses.

Calls for clearer labels were backed by the British Dietetic Association. Dietitian Azmina Govinda said: 'Manufacturers should use simpler language so that people know what they are getting.'

Additives are used to preserve, add colour, flavour or texture to food and drink. However, campaigners say not enough is known about their side effects.

Common additives

E904 - Shellac
Used for: Glazing
Used in: Cadbury's Crunchie Nuggets, Starburst Joosters.
Origin: Secreted by an Indian insect

E401 to 4 (Alginates)
Used for:Thickening
Used in: Ice cream, sauces, fruit pies and spreads
Origin: Extracted from brown seaweed

E445 - (Glycerol esters of wood resins)
Used for: Stabilising
Used in: Fanta Fruit Twist, Lilt Light, Fruit Crush
Origin: Extracted from vegetable matter such as pine wood chips

E170 - Calcium Carbonate
Used for: White colouring
Used in: Bread
Origin: Taken from sea and snail shells

E551 - Silicon Dioxide
Used for: Stops powders sticking together
Used in: Drink and sauce mixes
Origin: Extracted from sand

E120 - Cochineal
Used for: Red Colouring
Used in: Colours meat, including curries and snacks, such as Smarties biscuits
Origin: Extracted from the dried bodies of coccid insects

Source: Which?