Fact sheet - food additives - The dirty dozen

The dirty dozen

1. 102 TARTRAZINE …colouring
FD&C Yellow No 5, CI 19140. Synthetic azo dye. Used in confectionery, soft drinks, packet desserts, fruit flavoured cordial, pickles; can provoke migraine, urticaria (skin rash), itching, rhinitis (runny nose), blurred vision, purple patches on the skin, irritability, restlessness, inattention and wakefulness in young children. Immunosuppressive effects.

2. 110 SUNSET YELLOW ... colouring
FD&C Yellow No 6, CI 15985. Synthetic azo dye. Used in cereals, bakery items, crumbed foods, sweets, snack foods, ice cream, drinks and canned fish; also in many medications including Ventolin syrup; can provoke hives, eczema, gastric upset, swelling of the blood vessels, nasal congestion, behavioural problems and wakefulness in children. Able to cross the placenta. Potentially dangerous to asthmatics.

3. 123 AMARANTH … colouring
FD&C Red No 2, CI 16186. Synthetic coal tar dye and azo dye. Used in jelly crystals, packet cake mixes, fruit flavoured fillings; can provoke urticaria, overactivity in children. Linked to malignant tumours in rats.
Immunosuppressive effects. Banned in the USA in 1976.

4. 127 ERYTHROSINE … colour
FD&C Red No 3, CI 45430. Synthetic coal tar dye. Used in glace and canned red cherries, strawberries and rhubarb, quick custard mix, biscuits, packet trifle mix. Can cause phototoxicity (sensitivity to light). Large dietary intakes of this additive could affect the thyroid. Should be consumed sparingly by children. Reduces sperm counts and increases sperm abnormalities in mice. Has oestrogen-like growth properties and could be a significant factor in human breast cancer. The US Food and Drug Administration has recommended that this dye should be banned as a carcinogen.

5. 160b ANNATTO EXTRACTS … colouring
Annatto, bixin, norbixin, CI 75120. A vegetable dye from the seed coat of the tropical Annatto tree. Used in cereals, biscuits, margarine, yoghurts, ice-cream; can provoke urticaria, gastrointestinal, airways and central nervous system reactions including behaviour problems and headache; possible role in the development of diabetes mellitus especially in the undernourished state.

6. E211 SODIUM BENZOATE ... preservative
Used in soft drinks, fruit drinks, fruit flavoured cordials, toppings, syrups, maple syrup and syrup medications including Phenergan. Can provoke asthma, urticaria and gastrointestinal symptoms, plus behaviour problems in children.

7. 220 SULPHUR DIOXIDE … preservative
Used in dried fruit, soft drinks, cordials, fruit drinks, beer, wine, sausages, other processed meats including pet meat, hot chips, instant mashed potato, prawns; can provoke asthma and skin rashes especially in young children; destroys Vitamin B1 (thiamine) and folic acid in the body, from both foods and supplements. Associated with an estimated 12 asthma deaths in the USA and thiamine deficiency in pet dogs and cats in Australia leading to vestibular dysfunction, irritability and occasionally death.
Banned in meat in the USA since 1959.

8. 282 CALCIUM PROPIONATE…preservative
Used in bread, hamburger buns, crumpets, English muffins, pita bread; can provoke irritability, restlessness, inattention and sleep disturbance in children, migraines, skin rashes, gastrointestinal upsets; found to cause forestomach tumours in rats, long lasting learning deficits and brain alteration when given to very young rats.

9. 320 BHA (BUYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE) … antioxidant
Used as a preservative in oils and fats, and products containing oils and fats including fried foods, softened butter, dairy blends, margarine, hot chips, frozen chips, crisps, biscuits, ice-cream cones. May be unlisted in products containing less than five percent vegetable oils. Can provoke eczema, irritable bowel symptoms, migraine, irritability, restlessness, inattention, wakefulness and depression. Frequent reports of toxicity at high doses, including promotion of forestomach cancers in rats. Not permitted in foods intended specifically for infants and young children.
Banned in Japan.

10. 621 MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE ... flavour enhancer (MSG)
Introduced into Western food in 1948. Added to savoury processed foods including snack foods, instant noodles, biscuits, takeaways, prepared meals, sauces, gravies, stocks and stock cubes, canned tuna, many frozen foods. In cigarettes and animal food. In over 10,000 foods in USA. Derived from the fermentation of molasses. Can provoke migraine, asthma, eczema, irritable bowel symptoms, heart palpitations, dizziness, nausea, heart attack-type symptoms, irritability, restlessness, inattention and wakefulness. Not permitted in foods intended specifically for infants and young children.

11. 635 RIBONUCLEOTIDES … flavour enhancer
A combination of disodium guanylate (627) and disodium inosinate (631). Used in the same foods as MSG, also rotisseried chicken, chicken flavoured salt, blended butter. Originally prepared from sardine, meat and yeast extract, now prepared synthetically. Reports of adverse effects include itchy skin rashes, angio-oedema (swelling of the lips, tongue or eyes, may constitute a medical emergency), and behavioural effects in children. Not permitted in foods intended specifically for infants and young children. Should be avoided by people with gout.

12. 951 ASPARTAME ... artificial sweetener
Artificial sweetener 200 times as sweet as sugar. Used in 9000 products including diet drinks, low joule or 'no added sugar' foods, confectionery, chewing gum and medications. The US Food and Drug Administration has received more complaints about this additive than any other. Reported effects include headache, mood alteration (anxiety, agitation, irritability and depression), insomnia, fatigue and dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms and allergic reactions. US research suggests a link to brain tumours. Diet drinks containing it are banned for US Air Force pilots.

The information on this fact sheet has been provided by nutritionist Sue Dengate.