An amusing article from The Times (UK) intended for a general audience. It does contain this section on food additivies:
The clamour for a ban on many artificial colours and flavourings has grown louder in response to research in September suggesting that many colours may, in certain combinations, cause hyperactivity in children. Although a ban remains some way off, the Food Standards Agency, which commissioned the Southampton University study, revised its advice to parents of hyperactive kids, suggesting that they try cutting certain artificial colours from their diets. The colours are: sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102) ponceau 4R (E124), and sodium benzoate (E211).
The Southampton study suggests that consuming certain mixtures of these food colours together with the preservative sodium benzoate could be linked to a “negative effect on children’s behaviour”.
Dr Andrew Wadge, the FSA’s chief scientist, says the decision to ban problem additives is down to the European Food Safety Authority, which is reviewing all food colours used in the EU.
Already banned in some European countries that have acted unilaterally. Ponceau 4R and carmoisine are banned in Norway, Sweden, Japan and the US.
Full article available at the link above.