Fancy a nice plate of carmoisine and sunset yellow?

We've all heard of E numbers - but what exactly are they?

THERE is so much confusion about additives in our food, which ones are safe and which ones are not, so I thought that I would explain about the main categories.

The Food Standards Agency is the governing body which assesses the safety of additives before these can be added to foods in Britain and EU countries.

These have to be listed either by their name or an E number, the various groups of additives fall into these main categories: Antioxidants: E300 is Vitamin E and E 306 is Vitamin C (stop food from changing colour and becoming rancid: this occurs when fat meets oxygen).

Emulsifiers: E406 is agar and E322 is lecithin (gelling agents, thickening foods).

Flavour enhancers: E621 is monosodium glutamate and E620 is glutamic acid (used to bring out the flavour of foods).

Preservatives: E200 is sorbic acid and E202 is potassium sorbate (used to keep food safer for longer).

Sweeteners: E420 is sorbitol and E967 is xylitol (intense sweeteners are many times sweeter than sugar and bulk sweeteners are similar to sugar in sweetness).

The FSA funded research which showed that consumption of certain artificial food colours and the preservative sodium benzoate could be linked to increased hyperactivity in children. The ones which were researched were sunset yellow E110, quinoline yellow E104, carmoisine E122, allura red E129, tartrazine E102, ponceau 4R E124.

Some additives have been been banned in many countries, due to fears that they can affect health. These are: 1. Saccharine E954, a sweetener 350 times sweeter than sugar, this is banned in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Fiji, Peru, France, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Israel and Taiwan.

2. Ponceau 4R E 124, is a colouring used in soft drinks, confectionery, and desserts. It is banned in US, Canada, Norway, Sweden and Japan 3. Sunset yellow E110, is a colouring commonly found in ice creams and drinks, It is banned in Norway, Sweden and Finland.

4. Acesulfame K E950, a chemical sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar, not banned anywhere.

5. Aspartame E951 is a chemical sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar, US air force pilots are banned from consuming this.

6. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) E621, a flavouring commonly used in fast and processed foods, this is not banned anywhere.

7. Sodium benzoate E211, is a preservative commonly used in soft drinks, meat products and cakes, this is not banned anywhere.

8. Quinoline yellow E104, is a colouring used in soft drinks, ice creams, deserts and confectionery, it is banned in the US, Japan, Australia and Norway.

9. Sulphur dioxide E220, this is a preservative commonly used in dried fruits, confectionery ,juices and potato products, and is not banned anywhere.

10. Carmoisine E122, this is a colouring commonly used in sweets and is banned in US, Norway, Sweden and Japan.

11. Indigo carmine E132, again a colouring commonly used in ice creams, confectionery and biscuits, it has been banned from Japan, US, Australia and Norway.

12. Brilliant blue E133, a colouring usually found in sweets, drinks and commonly used in dairy products, this was banned in the British Commonwealth until 1980, and is still banned in Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, France and Germany.

There are more than 300 additives approved for use in Europe. Many are safe even when consumed in large quantities. more information or listings of E numbers and what they are, can be accessed from the Food Standards agency. Charity Kict (Kids Integrated Cancer Treatment) for children with cancer has a lot of researched information on foods and additives.