While some parents have long believed that artificial colours in food make their children hyperactive, scientific evidence has been slow to support this theory. Last year, however, a major study found a link between hyperactivity and consumption of the preservative sodium benzoate and some food colours.* Although these additives are EU-approved and widely used in the UK, their effect on children’s behaviour and lack of nutritional value mean that consumers are increasingly saying no to buying products containing
them. Asda was the first supermarket to commit to removing artificial colours and flavours from all its products, along with flavour enhancers such as monosodium glutamate and the sweetener aspartame. It also removed hydrogenated fat (usually called hydrogenated vegetable oil), which often contains trans fats, thought to play a more significant role in the development of heart disease than saturated fats. So some food in your basket may look a little different – but Asda’s own-label products still taste great.
NATURAL SPARKLE
Soft drinks were the trickiest to reformulate – but Asda has managed it. The characteristic colour of Asda Regular Cola has been recreated with natural alternatives, and aspartame in Diet Cola has been replaced by other sweeteners. Asda Bitter Lemon has kept its famous flavour but instead of its distinctive pale-blue colour, it now looks like old-fashioned cloudy lemonade.
Pale and Interesting
Some artificial colours and flavours simply don’t have a natural alternative, such as the bright green of mushy peas from Tartrazine (E102) and Green S (E142). Instead, it was decided
that these products would go without colouring, so the peas are now paler in colour but taste the same and still go brilliantly with chips!
Pass the Salt
Around three-quarters of the salt we consume is in ready-prepared foods. In order to reduce these levels, the Food Standards Agency has set strict salt-reduction targets. Asda has removed an amazing 396 tonnes of salt from its own-label products, hitting targets long before the FSA’s 2010 deadline.
Recipe for Success
Asda’s promise meant reformulating thousands of food items. The product development team tackled everything from Indian ready meals to the cherries used in muffins. Asda nutritionist Vanessa Hattersley says, ‘Reformulation was hard work, but it was a labour of love. Colours such as Sunset Yellow (E110), Carmoisine (E122) and Allura Red (E129) add nothing in terms of nutrition – without them our products look natural and taste as good as ever.’
ASDA.com Copyright 2008
* Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in three-year-old and eight/nine-year-old children in the community: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial by the University of Southampton, funded by the FSA.
