The Chartered Trading Standards Institute has issued a warning that imported sweets and fizzy drinks with known links to hyperactivity and cancer have flooded the UK.
Here in Manchester we’re taking this very seriously, and the Council’s Environmental Health team are seizing illegal products from local shops. We’re also urging you not to buy these products for children.
What are the risks?
Some imported sweets and drinks contain additives and ingredients that are banned in the UK because they are linked to:
- Hyperactivity
- Behavioural problems
- Cancer
- Kidney and other organ damage
- Heart problems
- Making insulin response less effective
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, stomach cramps
- Copper deficiency
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Nutrient deficiencies and reduced immune function
What to look out for
Banned ingredients to look out for:
- Brominated vegetable oil (BVO)
- E127, erythrosine (shown on US products as Red 3)
- Mineral oil – this carries the risk of contamination with other compounds that are capable of forming cancers
- Bleached flour
The following additives can cause hyperactivity and behavioural problems in children. There should be a warning on the packaging to state this.
- Sunset yellow FCF (E110)
- Quinoline yellow (E104)
- Carmoisine (E122)
- Allura red (E129)
- Tartrazine (E102)
- Ponceau 4R (E124)
The following additives are allowed in food but not in drinks:
- Calcium disodium EDTA (E385) – in animal studies it caused adverse reproductive and developmental effects and in mice has been shown to contribute to cancer of the colon
- Erythorbic acid (E315)
Some examples of imported food and drinks that have been found to contain banned additives and ingredients are listed here. Some of these brands have products intended for the UK market and comply with legislation. Check the ingredients to make sure the product you’re buying doesn’t contain any of the additives listed.
Examples of imported foods and drinks which contain banned additives:
- Jolly Rancher Hard Candy
- Twizzlers Rainbow Twists
- Fanta Pineapple
- Hostess Twinkies
- Jolly Rancher Gummies Original
- Chewy Lemonhead
- Mtn Dew
- Hostess Golden Cupcakes
- Jolly Rancher Lollipops
- Lemonhead Original Candy
- Mirinda
- Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix
- Swedish Fish
- Hot Tamales
- Sunny D
- Prime Hydration
- Swedish Fish mini Tropical
- Cheetos Crunchy
- Sunny D Orange Strawberry
- Van Holten's Pickles
- Twizzlers Strawberry Twists
- Takis Blue Heat
We’re working hard to protect consumers by removing these products from local shops and educating shopkeepers about the dangers. If you see a product with one of the banned ingredients, please report it to contact@manchester.gov.uk.