ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG TODAY
We need you to help protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
Get EWG widgets & blog badges.
ENVIROBLOG TO YOU
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
You could (almost) eat this furniture
Is your sunscreen in EWG's Sunscreen Hall of Shame?
Fracking: Live chat with EWG & 'Gasland' director Josh Fox
Understanding Sunscreen: 4 Questions about SPF
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Infant formula: How to choose it & use it
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
Let's talk some serious shop about TSCA reform
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« California chemical wars, continued | Main | Take two house plants and call me in the morning »
Who wants candy? EU may ban suspect food additives
After a UK study, published late last year, drew convincing connections between certain food additives and hyperactivity in children, Britain's Food Standards Agency asked food companies to comply with a voluntary ban on those products.
Now, a newly-proposed rule in the European Union would require manufacturers who continue to use some of those additives to print a warning on their labels:
The requirement for labelling, which would warn consumers that products "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children", emerged in negotiations between MEPs, the European commission and the council of ministers over a new structure for authorising additives, flavourings and enzymes in food. It has to be approved by ministers later in the year and firms will be given time to comply, probably until mid-2010.
By the time the rule goes into effect (that is, if it gets approved), most major food manufacturers* will already have gotten rid of the additives in question -- in part to comply with the UK's voluntary ban, but also because of consumer demand. The EU warning requirement would apply to imported foods as well, creating incentive for international food manufacturers to get rid of the additives altogether, and meaning that the US might see some residual benefit from the EU's move.
*Does anyone else think the phrase "food manufacturers" is altogether a little bit creepy?
Photo by PorcelainGirl.
Leave a comment