A couple of weeks ago, when Frank’s brother and his family were here, we went out to dinner at a place that is styled as an “American Diner”. In addition to serving hamburgers–which may be healthier than most available in America because they are made with hormone-free Swiss meat–they have a shop which sells various corn-syrup rich products imported from America. After dinner, my daughter picked out a box of Nerds candies as her special treat. We also picked up some Laughy Taffy. Both seemed harmless enough to me–after all, I ate them both as a kid.
Sometimes in the evenings after dinner, we let our daughter have some a small amount of candy before brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed. Usually it is some German gummy candy or Swiss chocolate. But lately I’ve noticed she has been suddenly, unusually and uncontrollably hyper after this treat, and I’ve realized that this unusual hyperactivity only happens when she eats her special “American candy.”
This year, my daughter’s Easter basket included a special treat–imported Jelly Belly jelly beans, which the Easter Bunny surreptitiously managed to pick up at that “American”-styled diner. Because these candies are apparently also imported into the European Union (Switzerland is not part of the EU), they must comply with European Union labeling requirements. Our box of Jelly Bellys has this labeling in German, French, and Dutch. Because my German is much better than either French or Dutch, I’ll share with you the information on the box which prompted me to do more research:
“Farbstoffe (E100, E102 [Tartrazine], E110, E129, E132, E133, E150d, E171) . . . E102, E110, E129: Koennen Aktivitaet und Aufmerksamkeit bei Kindern beeintraechtigen.”
In English: “coloring agents (E100, E102 [FD&C yellow 5][Tartrazine], E110 [Sunset Yellow FCF (Orange Yellow S, FD&C Yellow 6)], E129 [Allura Red AC (FD&C Red 40)], E132, E133, E150d, E171) . . . E102 [FD&C yellow 5][Tartrazine], E110 [Sunset Yellow FCF (Orange Yellow S, FD&C Yellow 6)], E129 [Allura Red AC (FD&C Red 40)]: Can affect the activity and attention/concentration of children.”
The European Union is currently re-evaluating the safety of all food coloring agents, and other food additives, and each must undergo a testing and approval process. However, the EU has determined that it would be too burdensome to test the affects of multiple coloring agents when combined, so it is possible that there will be affects not noted by the government agencies. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has called for the FDA to ban Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Orange B and Red 3 because of their association with hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children.
In the future, I’ll be more aware of this issue and monitor the candy my daughter eats more carefully.
myowngeography 