Reports have come to light, of how despite a ruling from the Food Standards Agency last year to refrain from adding artificial colours responsible for increased hyperactivity in children, Cadbury’s are still adding to them to their Creme Eggs amongst other sweets.
In addition to Creme Eggs, the Food Commission - an independent body of health campaigners - discovered traces of harmful E-numbers in their Mini Eggs, Roses as well as six further Cadbury products. Mars Revels ans Starburst Choozers were also found to contain the controversial additives.
The FSA funded a study led by Southampton University in September 2007, the results of which revealed there were seven E-numbers - six colours and one preservative - which were proven to cause hyperactive behaviour and lack of concentration in primary school children.
The FSA ruled in April 2008 that by the end of 2009, makers of such products should no longer use certain additives including food colourings like sunset yellow and tartrazine.
Cadbury last April pledged to keep the promise they made two years before to stay in line with the FSA’s “voluntary ban” by taking our all the colours from their sweets. Similarly, in September 2007 Mars announced they would no longer use artificial colours in a number of lines, including Starburst, by the end of the year.
The Food Commission are now pulling Mars and Cadbury up on their apparent reversal of such pledges.
Studies found traces of sunset yellow (E110) in Cadbury’s Creme Eggs and Roses as well as some possible other E-numbers in the red and orange colours of the Mini Eggs. Mars are using quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122) and ponceau 4R (E124) in Revels, while traces of E104 and E122 were found in Starburst Choozers.
Nestle however, a major UK confectionary manufacturer, has kept their promise by not using any E-numbers in over two years.
Anna Glayzer, a spokeswoman for the Food Commission said, “To make these pledges at times of high media attention and then quietly neglect them is simply cynical PR opportunism.”
Cadbury have attempted to redeem themselves by revealing plans to roll out the abolition of all remaining colours in “coming months”. It has argued that they have not gone back on a promise, but simply the Food Commission had misunderstood their plans to not use E-numbers in only sweets, rather than chocolate as well. “We achieved our goal of removing all artificial colours from our sweets by the end of last year as promised,” a spokesman said.
“There are a small number of chocolate products … that presented difficult technical challenges. We have resolved these and, as of this month, no Creme or Mini Creme Eggs leaving our factories contain artificial colours.”
Mars claimed to be sympathetic towards the public’s outcry. “By the end of 2008, all of the seven additives were removed from all of our chocolate products, except Minstrels and Revels which we are working to achieve by the end of 2009,” it said.
The FSA have confirmed they are happy so far with the success of the voluntary approach.
