Huge grass-roots movement against food additives

Many people talk about artificial additives in our food, drinks and medicines. Parents and carers will often express frustration. Larger organisations have also taken the matter on board.

In fact there is a huge groundswell of support out there from many individuals and organisations who are keen to tackle the issue of artificial additives in our food.

Check out the following key groups:

• The Parents' Jury is very active and includes an online network of parents, grandparents and guardians who are campaigning to ensure our children have healthy food and lifestyles. The team is also putting together a manifesto for the 2013 Federal Election which includes a number of issues relating to healthy food choices and the use of additives.

• The Food Intolerance Network is speerheaded by Sue Dengate who is also the best-selling author of the book Fed Up. The Network focuses on food intolerances and offers advice on how to eliminate additives and other chemicals from our diet. Sue developed the Failsafe diet which is now used by families across Australia and internationally. She has also written a useful summary about artificial colours in the UK and Australia - read the link here.

• The Trusted Trolley aims to help families become more aware of food additives when they shop. The team provides advice on how to avoid additives and preservatives at the supermarket, particularly when shopping for young children.

These three organisations alone have a huge online following, including thousands of Facebook followers.

But there are also many other general parenting groups, websites and blogs which discuss the issue of artificial food additives and also promote a range of healthy food issues. A snapshot is as follows:

• The parenting website, Kidspot Australia, has tackled the issue here
• Nutrition expert and author Catherine Saxelby has written about the issue here.
• Let's Live Additive Free has a website and blog here.

Aldi and other supermarkets have also been phasing out artificial colours and preservatives from their own branded products - see the report here. Sadly, however, many of the major manufacturers have not yet changed their ingredients.

The network of physical and online parenting groups is huge and continues to grow. Many of them keep in touch with each other via Twitter, Facebook and other forums.

Meanwhile many individual parents and guardians face the constant struggle every day to avoid artificial colours and preservatives in their children's food, drinks and medicines.

So why, then, do we still have excessive amounts of additives in so many of our supermarket and speciality foods?

Surely it is time for a change. The groundswell of support is out there so let's take this to the next level and put pressure on our politicians and manufacturers to clean up our food once and for all.

Why avoid artificial food colours?

I talk a lot about the need to avoid artificial food colours and E211 preservative. I hear of other parents who say the same thing.

But why is it so important? Why do we need to make it such a big issue?

Well, it's simple - these artificial food additives affect the way our children live, grow and learn. And to me, that is critical.

The additives in our food have a profound effect on some children, including my son. Even small amounts can send them off to a faraway place where hyperactivity reigns supreme and common sense virtually disappears.

In my son's case, having a dose of these food additives is like putting him on some form of 'party drug' (or so I would imagine). He often jumps around untamed, doesn't listen or think and has no sense of focus or reason.

Many children are active and busy, my son included. But the impact of artificial food colours is so much greater than simply having a busy child. In our case it a major issue because my son seems to move into another realm where he is often difficult to reach. His behaviour goes down hill and his focus is out the window.

And then, when the additive effects finally wear off, he will often collapse in a crumpled heap of tears or tiredness, seemingly unaware of the exhausting trail he has left behind.

My son went through a bad phase in kindergarten a few years ago (before we really got on top of his eating habits). At one point his teacher said to me: "I can always tell when your son is going to have a bad day because I can see it in his eyes when he comes into class."

I've never forgotten that comment, and in hindsight it was so true. His eyes do change when he is on these food additives. They are wider and wilder, they do not focus, and they do not seem to see things quite the same as we do.

The impact of food colours and E211 in those days was significant. He would lose concentration and had no sense of reason, which meant he was always in some sort of trouble. He also became unruly and dysfunctional in class, and he stopped being invited to other children's birthday parties.

More importantly, he did not learn effectively and slipped backwards in class. This was not because he was academically incapable, he is actually quite smart young lad, but it was because he was living in a kind of drug-infused (additive-infused) fog which prevented him for thinking clearly and learning effectively.

Since managing his diet more closely, however, and eliminating all artificial colours and 211 preservative from his food, my son has been much more productive. He is still busy and active but he listens more, he can focus well and he is keen to learn new things.

To me this is a critical factor in why we need to eliminate these negative additives from our food. Yes, it is always good to eat fresher, healthier and additive free, but more importantly we also need to stop inhibiting our children's ability to learn and develop on a social, emotional and academic level.

If we want productive, happy and functioning children who are willing and able to learn and develop, then lets give them a good start and eliminate all those artificial colours and unnecessary preservatives that simply get in the way.

Our modern world is challenging enough. Let's not make it any harder for our children to learn and explore it and establish their own roles within it.

Artificial colours to avoid

Well, another year has descended upon us and we continue our vigilance against artificial colours in our food and drink.

So what are the artificial colours to avoid? I will list these in two  groups.

The first is often known as the "Southampton Six" as they were the subject of some significant studies conducted in Southampton in the UK several years ago. The studies were funded by the Food Standards Agency and indicated these colours can have a major impact on some children's behaviour, including increased hyperactivity. The studies also found the same outcomes with preservative E211, sodium benzoate. These six colours, and E211, are therefore the most serious colours we deal with. They are generally reds and yellows and are as follows:

• E102 - Tartrazine
• E104 - Quinoline yellow
• E110 - Sunset yellow
• E122 - Azorubine / Carmoisine
• E124 - Ponceau 4R
• E129 - Allura red

The second group comprises of several more artificial colours which, in my experience, also have a major impact on children's behaviour. These are as follows:

• E123 - Amaranth (deep brown red)
• E127 - Erythrosine (cherry pink)
• E132 - Indigotine (blue denim)
• E133 - Brilliant blue
• E142 - Green S
• E143 - Fast green
• E151 - Brilliant black
• E155 - Brown HT

Good luck with avoiding these artificial colours in our food and drink. They are widely used and it is often quite a challenge to stay on top of them all.

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