Brussels, 18 September 2007

Brussels, September 2007- According to the findings of a UK scientific study published last week, food additives may have a negative behavioural impact on children. Some of these substances could be linked with increased hyperactivity in children.

The study commissioned by the UK Food Standards Agency reveals that children having ingested a combination of artificial colourings - present in products like soft drinks, confectionary, etc.- and the preservative sodium benzoate, showed signs of hyperactivity or attention-deficit.

The matter has gained a particular momentum, as the EU is currently revising its legal framework for additives, with calls from the European Parliament and Consumer groups to better take into account health concerns.

In this context, the European Commission has referred the study to the European Food Safety Authority for scientific evaluation. The Authority has until the end of 2007 to come up with an opinion.

Euro Coop, the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives, welcomes the move from the Commission. "By giving credit to the study and placing it under high scientific scrutiny, European authorities fortunately seem to be taking consumers' concerns seriously", commented Laura Street, Food Policy Officer at Euro Coop.

But at the same time, Euro Coop warns the Commission that when the time comes to take a risk management decision, it will have to resist the pressure from the Food Industry which is trying by all means to calm things down.

To those who claim that this is not a safety issue, Laura Street retorts "It is our children's health that is at stake; this should not be made light of." She followed: "The Commission has to take up its responsibility as the European risk manager and ensure that consumers are always put first."

That is precisely what the European cooperative movement has always been dedicated to. Indeed many consumer cooperatives across Europe are already working actively towards the elimination from their brand products of artificial colours and preservatives wherever possible, thereby following the steps of the Co-operative Group who was the first supermarket in the UK to do so.

EURO COOP is the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives, whose members are the national organisations of consumer cooperatives in 17 European countries. Created in 1957, EURO COOP today represents over 3,200 local and regional cooperatives, the members of which amount to more than 22 million consumers across Europe.

For further information, please contact:
Laura Street, Food Policy Officer, Euro Coop
Tel: +32 (0)2 285 00 74, Fax: +32 (0)2 231 07 57
E-mail: lstreetateurocoop.coop