Dr Ian Lindenmeyer

Managing Director ANZFA

PO Box 7186

CANBERRA MC ACT 2610

 Dear Dr Lindenmayer

In May 2000 the Food Intolerance Network provided you with twelve detailed reports of serious reactions to Food Additive 635. The response from ANZFA was patronizing at best, suggesting that we should provide clinical evidence, which is clearly beyond the resources of this Network. The response left unanswered the serious issues raised, which are that you appear to have no system where adverse experiences can be reported and heard nor any publicly available evidence of safety of this additive.

The situation remains the same today. There are still people being seriously affected every day by this additive. It is being found in an increasing range of foods, including takeaways where it is impossible to obtain information about its presence in the food.

We provide below some more recent reports concerning this additive:

• "I woke up at 3.30am on a Sunday covered with a rash, particularly bad on arms and torso. My face was very swollen and lumpy. The rash was terrible, the facial swelling was quite frightening and I felt as though I was gasping for air at times. My doctor said because it was all over my body, it was likely something I had eaten. The only thing different I had was a vegie burger from Hungry Jacks that I ate shortly before going to sleep. I went back later and asked about the ingredients. The only thing that I was not sure that I had eaten before was additive 635 (it was the only additive). I’ve never experienced a reaction like this. In the past, when I have had allergic reactions, the result has been hives, not rash, and always cured quickly by an antihistamine tablet. This time I had to take a course of antihistamines and steroids. I assure you I won’t be consuming this 635 again. It has been a most distressing experience for me and caused me to cancel my holiday. It is almost incomprehensible that this additive is allowed (without any sort of warning) if this sort of reaction can occur." (Brisbane)
• "My 16yr old son had a bout of hives last year. Covered his arms, legs and body in large swollen itchy welts. Telfast 180mg stopped the itching and reduced the swelling, but we could still see the red welts. For almost a week he woke each morning with the welts raised and itching again. We couldn't identify anything different in his diet or environment. Two weeks later he had another outbreak, similar in intensity. But this time I realised that both times it happened after he had worked an 8hr shift at a charcoal chicken shop. He has worked at this shop for over a year, and eaten there with no problems. However, it was unusual for him to eat both lunch and dinner at work, and for him to choose chicken and chips, smothered in gravy, for both meals in one day. He read through the ingredients of everything used in the shop, and found that the 'chicken flavouring' added to the stuffing includes E635. This same chicken flavouring is mixed with salt and sprinkled on the chips. The gravy mix used also has E635, and the chicken flavouring is added to the gravy, so there's a double dose there. He has since avoided eating large quantities of E635, ie. he doesn't eat the gravy, he leaves the 'chicken salt' off his own chips, and he's careful to monitor the quantity of 'chicken flavour' added to the stuffing mix. He's had no hives at all since those two episodes. I'm very concerned that the shop owner had no idea that E635 could cause reactions, and that there is no real control over the amount of E635 in any one meal. E635 is in the 'chicken flavour' added to gravy, stuffing and salt. The 'chicken salt' is liberally sprinkled on chicken and chips. How much my son ate that day depends on who made up the gravy and stuffing, and who salted the chips, because there are no exact measurements." (Kiera)
• A mother from Melbourne who reacts with a quick, dramatic skin rash (excellent photos are available) to flavour enhancer 635…in Doritos, CCs and a particular flavour of rice crackers. Her 9-year-okd daughter also reacts to this additive (after eating only two CCs), with "crabbiness, itchy eyes and black circles under her eyes, like someone has punched her in the face." (Food Intolerance Network letter in response to query from TV producer).
• "One of my friends had a frightening experience on Christmas Eve, which we thought may have been caused by 635 in corn chips. She has never had a reaction like it before, but had eaten quite a few corn chips (and not much else) at a family outing..here is part of what she wrote: - there was one bottle of mineral water, one bottle of wine, 2 packets of corn chips and a salad consisting of lettuce, tomato and cucumber!! Not only that but halfway thru the nite I started to get these itching lumps on my neck and legs. Felt ordinary for the rest of the nite and next morning I noticed more lumps and my ears were red hot and swollen. Managed to get thru the day okay but I didn't feel much like eating and was tired. Next morning…I woke absolutely burning and covered in lumps (or hives as you have probably figured out). I tried to get up and shower but I fainted…my lips swelled up and (my husband) was in a panic. The doctor came and gave me an anti-histamine and within an hour I was better but my blood pressure remained low and I had to stay in bed til my body battled whatever I ate that I was allergic to. Today I am better..the hives are beginning to go and no new ones are appearing. I can walk but I have to tell you I am scared. I don't know what I ate..I think maybe the cornchips..they were flavoured." (Melbourne)
• "I had an itchy rash a few weeks back that kept me up all night. I thought it might have been a reaction to a new soap, but then I remembered the 635 in CCs…I had dug into a larger packet than usual. I hadn’t had any other processed food. I haven’t had CCs or the rash since then." (Sydney)
• "I realise that Jake is very sensitive more than most and only lives on his basic four items, but he also had a very severe reaction to 635…He broke out in a hive/welt rash and also had swelling in the throat and breathing difficulties, he was given a needle from the Doctor which helped, but the redness was there for days along with headaches. And I also react…I also get the welts, the size of plates on me and severe headaches for days where I can’t move." (Blacktown)

Above we have provided more evidence of serious reactions to an additive that ANZFA has officially approved for everyday use in Australian and New Zealand food. We seek your answers to the following questions:

1. What action will ANZFA take in response to our letter?
2. Why is there no formal public system for the reporting of adverse experiences? If the National Registration Authority can run such a system for agricultural and veterinary chemicals, why is it beyond your ability and responsibility for foods eaten every day by the Australian public?
3. Specifically for Additive 635, where is your scientific evidence that this additive is safe? The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence of harm, so where is the properly conducted study and public report such as that routinely provided for agricultural and veterinary chemicals (see example attached)?

Dr Ian Lindenmeyer

Managing Director ANZFA

PO Box 7186

CANBERRA MC ACT 2610

Dear Dr Lindenmeyer

FINA has received numerous complaints concerning the food additive 635 (sodium 5' ribonucleotide), which is found in tasty snack foods - pies, party pies, flavoured chips, flavoured noodles, dried soups. The effects reported are serious and in one case to date were life threatening.

Here is a typical response:

And here's one that appears to be anaphylactoid:

These detailed anecdotes are backed up by e-mails to FINA from all over Australia and New Zealand about the effects of this additive. There appears to be nothing in the scientific literature about these effects of this additive.

As a result of the above reports, FINA formally requests that ANZFA investigate additive 635 for its health effects and requests to be informed in detail of the process that ANZFA will follow in investigating this adverse experience report.

Yours truly,

Sue Dengate

cc Dr Heather Yeatman, ANZFA Board

cc Nicola Ballenden, Australian Consumers' Association

cc Dr Dick Copeman, Consumer Food Network