How can you help? By writing for change.
![]()
This is an
historical file of letters to and from food regulators and Ministers. Scroll
down to see them. Current letters are here

The Project Officer
Publications Review
Health Advisory Section
National Health and Medical
Research Council
GPO
CANBERRA ACT 2601
ASTHMA: MANAGEMENT, EDUCATION AND RESEARCH 1995
The Food Intolerance
Network, which now consists of over 1500 members including more than 700 in a
range of specialised support groups, wishes to make a submission to the review
of the above publication.
The Food Intolerance
Network remains concerned that the present document focuses almost entirely on
improving drug treatment of symptoms for asthma without any recommendations
that address the causes of asthma. The ultimate goal of asthma research is to
prevent asthma, not just relieve its symptoms1. The Network believes
that there is now a considerable body of scientific evidence that food
chemicals contribute significantly to asthma especially in children, supporting
the proposed new recommendation given below.
Effectiveness of dietary
intervention
Improvements in asthma
symptoms have been reported with additive-free, low salicylate diets for adult
asthmatics18,28, an additive-free low salicylate elemental formula29
and an additive-free very low calorie meal replacement program30
following obesity surgery. Dietary management is most effective when all
provoking food chemicals are avoided31.
In a three month study of
19 asthmatic children, the only child of five to comply well with an
additive-free, low salicylate diet was a formerly severe asthmatic who achieved
normal lung function and freedom from all medication. There were no significant
improvements in 14 sulphite sensitive children who were asked to avoid
sulphites. Sensitivities to other food additives such as benzoates were not
tested and researchers commented that the sulphite free diet 'did not involve
radical changes in food consumption, and alternative foods and beverages not
containing [sulphites] could be substituted with ease'21. This was
not the experience of Corder and Buckley who after studying hundreds of
asthmatics commented on the 'prevalence and abundance of doses of unlabeled
sulfite in many foods … in the USA'15. Members of the Food
Intolerance Network can confirm that avoiding sulphites in Australian foods and
medications is extremely difficult as the use of sulphites, including
unlabelled sulphites, is so widespread.
Food labelling
It is considered that
appropriate food labelling will help in alerting individuals who cannot
tolerate sulphites19, but such labelling is of little use to
children who are unaware of their sensitivities; to children whose parents or
carers are not prepared to make the effort to restrict the child's diet; and in
countries such as Australia where there is an abundance of unlabelled
sulphite-containing foods, especially in unpackaged foods and takeaways.
The Food Intolerance
Network has observed that families of asthmatic children are less motivated to
restrict their diet unless there are other problems such as difficult
behaviour. As one mother said, 'She's no trouble when she has asthma. She just
sits there and tries to breathe.' When Sweden removed azo dyes from all food
except caviar, cocktail cherries, fruit cocktails and some alcoholic drinks,
the number of patients presenting with intolerance to azo dyes, benzoates and
aspirin intolerance decreased32.
To protect
food-sensitive asthmatic children - possibly the majority of asthmatic children
- the appropriate public health response is to reduce the use of asthmagenic
additives in the foods that children eat.
Fed Up with Asthma by Sue Dengate
This book, published by
Random House in 2003, provides an up-to-date and comprehensive science-based
review of the effects of food chemicals on asthma and how modification of diet
can reduce or eliminate asthma in many people.
The work arose from observations
of Food Intolerance Network members over many years. We noticed that when
families embarked on the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital elimination diet for a
child's difficult behaviour, any asthmatics in the family would improve. This
was despite the fact that mothers usually said 'but his asthma isn't related to
foods. He only gets it when he has a virus' or some other trigger. In the same
way that asthmatics are unaware of their sensitivity to aspirin unless
reactions occur within 20 minutes of ingestion14, most asthmatics
think that unless they experience an immediate asthma attack after eating, they
are not sensitive to foods.
Yet we noticed that in
every case while the child or adult remained on the diet their asthma would
improve and exposure to former triggers would fail to result in asthma. A
review of the literature suggested that chronic exposure to certain food
chemicals may cause continued inflammation of the airways with no obvious
symptoms. These inflamed airways are more likely to result in asthma when
exposed to environmental factors such as viruses or exercise. Findings so far
suggest that bronchial responsiveness reduces when food chemicals to which a
sensitivity has been demonstrated are removed from the diet35,15.
This mechanism accounts for
the hundreds of reports we have received of improvements in asthma while on the
elimination diet; of recurrences of asthma when failsafers break their diets;
and of numerous anecdotes such as: a 35 year old woman who developed
adult-onset asthma within three months of switching from regular Coke (which is
benzoate-free) to Diet Coke (which is preserved with benzoates) and became
asthma-free when she reverted to regular Coke; a woman who developed
adult-onset asthma when she followed a weight loss diet which involved snacking
on a trail mix of sulphited fruit and nuts; a 5 year old failsafer with
previously severe asthma who remained asthma-free while avoiding sulphites and
benzoates until she missed nearly a term of schooling with asthma due to sorbate
preservatives added unnoticed to the family's regular brand of margarine; a 12
year old who was kept wheat-free for eight years because her family had noticed
her asthma occurred after sandwiches - the elimination diet showed the child's
asthma was related to BHA (320) in bread and margarine rather than wheat
itself; a woman who realised a commercial soup contained MSG because it
exacerbated her asthma - the puzzled company eventually found unlabelled MSG
added by the supplier of their soup stock; health authorities in three regions
who discovered excessive use of artificial food colouring in meat and rice
dishes when English curry house patrons complained of asthma following curries;
and elite athletes who have outgrown their childhood asthma but develop
exercise asthma years later when they start eating large numbers of
sulphite-containing muesli bars during training.
Fed Up with Asthma contains extensive scientific
references and provides more detail than the above summary. It is helping thousands
of Australian families.
Conclusion
From the above it is
clear that there is sound scientific evidence for a change in stance by the
NHMRC and that in fact community action is outrunning the NHMRC.
The NHMRC may be
interested to know that our website has had nearly 200,000 visits since
establishment in September 1999 and that we receive continual reports of the
effectiveness of the Failsafe diet for asthma. Many families report that asthma
is just not an issue if the Failsafe diet is used.
It is also a concern to
the Food Intolerance Network that Australia leads the world in this area, in
the work with tens of thousands of children and adults at the Royal Prince
Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit, but that much of their excellent work has not
been written up and exposed to peer review. NHMRC could consider ways to assist
this Unit to bring the work of Drs Loblay, Swain and Soutter the prominence
that they deserve.
Based on the above
detailed scientific studies, the Food Intolerance Network proposes that the
NHMRC makes the following recommendations:
We look forward to
inclusion of these recommendations in the review of the publication.
Yours truly
Mrs Sue Dengate Dr
Howard Dengate
References
1. Haby MM, Peat JK, Marks
GB, Woolcock AJ, Leeder SR. Asthma in preschool children: prevalence and risk
factors, Thorax 2001;56:p589.
2. Speer S, Management
of childhood asthma. Charles C Thomas, Springfield, 1958, cited in Feingold
BF, Recognition of food additives as a cause of symptoms of allergy, Ann
Allergy 1968;26:309-13.
3. Chaffee FH, Settipane
GA. Asthma caused by FD&C approved dyes. J Allergy 1967;40:65-72.
4. Baker GJ, Collett P,
Allen DH. Bronchospasm induced by metabisulphite-containing foods and drugs. Med
J Aust 1981; 2:614-6.
5. Allen DH Allen DH, Van
Nunen S, Loblay R, Clarke L, Swain A. Adverse reactions to food. Med J Aust
1984; 141 (Suppl) 37-42.
6. Yang WH, Purchase ECR.
Adverse reactions to sulfites, Can Med Assoc J 1985;133:865-880.
7. Moneret-Vautrin DA.
Monosodium-glutamate-induced asthma, Allerg immunol 1987;19(1):29-35.
8. Timberlake CM, Toun AK,
Hudson BJ. Precipitation of asthma attacks in Melanesian adults by sodium
metabisulphite. PNG Med J 1992;35:186-190.
9. Steinman HA, Le Roux M,
Potter PC. Sulphur dioxide sensitivity in South African asthmatic children, S
Afr Med J 1993;83:387-390.
10. Gastaminza G, Quirce S,
Torres M, Tabar A, Echechipia S, Munoz Fernandex de Corres L. Pickled
onion-induced asthma: a model of sulfite-sensitive asthma? Clin Exp Allergy
1996;25(8):698-703.
11. Arai Y, Muto H, Sano Y,
Ito K. Food and food additives hypersensitivity in adult asthmatics. III
Adverse reactions to sulfites in adult asthmatics. Arerugi 1998;47(11):1163-7.
12.
13. McDonald JR, Mathison
DA and Stevenson DD. Aspirin intolerance in asthma, J Allergy Clin Immunol
1972;50(4):198-207.
14. Stenius BS, Lemola M.
Hypersensitivity to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and tartrazine in patients with
asthma. Clin Allergy 1976;6(2):119-29.
15. Corder EH, Buckley CE 3rd.
Aspirin, salicylates, sulfite and tartrazine induced bronchoconstruction. Safe
doses and case definition in epidemiological studies. J Clin Epidemiol
1995;48(10):1269-75.
16. Hijazi N, Abalkhail B,
Seaton A. Diet and childhood asthma in a society in transition: a study in
urban and rural Saudi Arabia. Thorax 2000; 55:775-779.
17. Bush RK, Taylor SL,
Holdren K, Nordlee JA, Busse WW. Prevalence of sensitivity to sulfiting agents
in asthmatic patients, Am J Med 1986;81(5):816-20.
18. Hodge L, Yan KY, Loblay
RL. Assessment of food chemical intolerance in adult asthmatic subjects. Thorax
1996;51(8):805-9.
19. Fifty-first meeting of
the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, Safety Evaluation of
Certain Food Additives: Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfites, World Health Organisation,
Geneva, 1999.
20. Friedman ME, Easton JG.
Prevalence of positive metabisulfite challenges in children with asthma. Pediatr
Asthma Aller Immunol 1987;
21. Towns SJ, Mellis CM.
Role of acetyl salicylic acid and sodium metabisulfite in chronic childhood
asthma. Pediatrics 1984;73(5):631-7.
22. Australia New Zealand
Food Authority. The 1994 Australian Market Basket Survey, Australian
Government Publishing Service, 1996, Canberra, p42.
23. Petrus M, Bonaz S,
Causse E, Rhabbour M, Moulie N, Netter JC, Bildstein G. Asthme et intolérance
aux benzoates. Arch Pédiatr 1996;3:984-987.
24. Mikkelsen H, Larsen JC,
Tarding F. Hypersensitivity reactions to food colours with special reference to
the natural colour annatto extract (butter colour). Arch Toxicol Suppl
1978;(1):141-3.
25. Soschin D, Leyden JJ.
Sorbic acid-induced erythema and edema. J Am Acad Dermatol 1986;14(2 Pt
1):234-41.
26. Fisherman EW, Cohen G.
Chemical intolerance to butylated-hydroxyanisole (BHA) and
butylated-hydroxytoluene (BHT) and vascular response as an indicator and
monitor of drug intolerance. Ann Allergy 1973;31(3):126-33.
27. Bauer AK, Dwyer-Nield
LD, Keil K, Koski K, Malkinson AM. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) induction of
pulmonary inflammation. Exp Lung Res 2001;27(3):197-216.
28. Genton C, Frei PC,
Pecoud A. Value of oral provocation tests to aspirin and food additives in the
routine investigation of asthma and chronic urticaria. J Allergy Clin
Immunol 1985;76(1):40-5.
29. Hoj L, Osterballe O,
Bundgaard A, Weeke B, Weiss M. A double-blind controlled trial of elemental
diet in severe, perennial asthma. Allergy 1981;36(4):257-62.
30. Stenius-Aarniala B,
Poussa T, Kvarnstrom J, Gronlund EL, Ylikahri M, Mustajoki P. Immediate and
long term effects of weight reduction in obese people with asthma: randomised
controlled study. BMJ 2000;320(7238):827-32.
31. Clarke L, McQueen J,
Samild A and Swain A. The dietary management of food allergy and food
intolerance in children and adults. Australian Journal of Nutrition and
Dietetics 1996;53(3):89-94.
32. Juhlin L. Recurrent
urticaria: clinical investigation of 330 patients. Br J Dermatol
1981;104(4):369-81.
33. Leclercq C, Molinaro
MG, Piccinelli R, Baldini M, Arcella D, Stacchini P.Dietary intake exposure to
sulphites in Italy - analytical determination of sulphite-containing foods and
their combination into standard meals for adults and children. Food Addit
Contam 2000;17(12):979-89.
34. Jacobson FJ, Schardt D.
Diet, ADHD and behaviour: a quarter-century review. Centre for Science
in the Public Interest, 1999 Washington DC. www.cspinet.org
35. Yan KY, Nicholas NR,
Salome C. Effect of diet on bronchial hyperresponsiveness in asthma.
Proceedings of 1st congress of the Asian Pacific Society of
Respirology. Tokyo, Japan, 1988:69, reported in Hodge L et al, cited
above.
![]()

The Project Officer
Publications Review
Health Advisory Section
National Health and Medical
Research Council
GPO Box 9848
CANBERRA ACT 2601
ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER 1996
The Food Intolerance
Network, which now consists of over 1500 members including over 700 in a range
of specialised support groups, wishes to make a submission to the review of the
above publication.
The Food Intolerance
Network continues to disagree with the current recommendation 19 ("While
some studies have suggested that food and food additives influence some
behaviours in some children, dietary manipulation is not recommended in the
routine management of ADHD. If a special diet is instituted, it should be under
the careful supervision of a qualified dietitian, preferably with experience in
this area.") and believes that considerable research since the date of
this recommendation supports the proposed new recommendation given below.
Significant research worthy
of NHMRC review includes:
1. Center for Science in
the Public Interest Review
Center for Science in the
Public Interest "Diet, ADHD and Behavior - A Quarter Century Review "
by MF Jacobson and D Schardt 1999 (Executive Summary attached). This major
review strongly recommended, inter alia, that
2. Isle of Wight Study
This $700,000 UK Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Research and Development Report "Do
food additives cause hyperactivity and behaviour problems in a geographically
defined population of 3 year olds?" (FS3015 30/06/00) (Executive Summary
attached) found that 16.4% of 1873 children were hyperactive and 23.4% had
behaviour problems and
3. Bread preservative
study
This study provided
evidence of behavioural effects from a ubiquitous bread preservative and
provided a significant measure of how effective the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
elimination diet, popularly known as the Failsafe Diet, can be in helping
children:
Abstract from Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (2002) 38(4), 373-376.
Controlled trial of cumulative
behavioural effects of a common bread preservative
S DENGATE and A RUBEN
Darwin, Northern Territory,
Australia
Objective: Many
anecdotes and one scientific report describe cumulative behavioural effects of
bread preservative on children.
Methodology: Twenty-seven
children, whose behaviour improved significantly on the Royal Prince Alfred
diet, which excludes food additives, natural salicylates, amines and
glutamates, were challenged with calcium propionate (preservative code 282) or
placebo through daily bread in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover
trial.
Results: Due
to four placebo responders, there was no significant difference by ANOVA of weighted
placebo and challenge Rowe Behaviour Rating Inventory means, but a
statistically significant difference existed in the proportion of children
whose behaviours 'worsened' with challenge (52%), compared to the proportion
whose behaviour 'improved' with challenge (19%), relative to placebo (95%
confidence intervals 14-60%).
Conclusions: Irritability,
restlessness, inattention and sleep disturbance in some children may be caused
by a preservative in healthy foods consumed daily. Minimising the concentrations
added to processed foods would reduce adverse reactions. Testing for
behavioural toxicity should be included in food additive safety evaluation.

The Few Foods diet is
acknowledged to be far more effective than the Feingold diet but too difficult
for general use (see Arnold 1999 under section 5, below, and Carter CM, Urbanowicz M, Helmsley R,
Mantilla L, Strobel S, Graham PJ and Taylor E. Effects of a few food diet in
attention deficit disorder, Archives of Disease in Childhood
1993;69:564-568). However the RPAH or Failsafe diet achieves similar
effects to the Few Foods diet and is suitable for widespread use (Swain et al Lancet
1985, Dengate and Ruben 2003 under section 5 below).
4. ACT school-age children's health study
In April 2003 the ACT
Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Health recommended (see attached), inter
alia, that
5. Recent research
bearing on diet and behaviour
The following references
were not considered in preparing the 1996 NHMRC advice on ADHD:
Arnold, LE. 'Treatment alternatives for Attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder' Journal of Attention Disorders 1999;3(1):30-48.
Bennett, CPW and others. 'The Shipley Project: treating food allergy to
prevent criminal behaviour in community settings', Journal of Nutritional
and Environmental Medicine 1998;8, 77-83.
Boris, M. and Mandel, F. 'Food additives are common causes of Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children'. Annals of Allergy
1994;(72:5),462-468.
Breakey J. The role of diet and behaviour in childhood. J Paediatr.
Child Health 1997; 33:190-194.
Breakey JM, Hill M, Reilly C. and Connell H. A report on a trial of the
low additive, low salicylate diet in the treatment of behaviour and learning
problems in children. Aust J Nutr Diet 1991;48(3):89-94.
Clarke L, McQueen J, Samild A and Swain A. The dietary management of
food allergy and food intolerance in children and adults, Australian Journal
of Nutrition and Dietetics 1996;53(3):89-94.
Conners, CK. Feeding the brain: how foods affect children 1989;
Dengate, S. Dietary management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, Aust J Early Childhood 1997;(22:4),29-33
Dengate S and Ruben A. Controlled trial of cumulative behavioural
effects of a common bread preservative, J Paediatr Child Health 2002;38(4):373-6.
Dengate, S and Ruben A. Letters to the editor. J Paediatr Child
Health 2003;39(7):569-70.
Feingold, BF. Dietary management of nystagmus, J Neural Transmission,
1979;45:107-115.
Loblay RH and Swain, AR. 'Food intolerance'. In: Wahlqvist M.L.,
Truswell A.S., editors. Recent Advances in Clinical Nutrition.
Parker G and Watkins T. Treatment-resistant depression: when
antidepressant drug intolerance may indicate food intolerance, Aust N Z J
Psychiatry 2002:36(2):263-5.
Rowe, KS. 'Synthetic food colourings and hyperactivity: a double-blind
cross-over study.' Australian Paediatric Journal; 1988;24:143-147.
Schettler E. and others. In harm's way: toxic threats to child
development, Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility (GBPSR),
2000. http://www.igc.org/psr/
Schoenthaler, SJ. 'Diet and delinquency: empirical testing of seven
theories', International Journal of Biosocial Research 1985;7(2);
108-131.
Schoenthaler, SJ, Doraz WE and
Schulte-Korne G, Deimel W, Gutenbrunner C, et al. Effect of an
oligoantigenic diet on the behaviour of hyperactive children. Z. Kinder
Jugendpsychiatr. Psychother. 1996;24(3): 176-183.
Shaywitz BA and others. Effects of chronic administration of food
colouring on activity levels and cognitive performance in developing rat pups
treated with 6-hydroxydopamine. Neurobehavioural toxicology 1971;
Swain AR, Dutton SP and
Swain AR, Soutter VL, Loblay RH and
Uhlig T and others. Topographic mapping of brain electrical activity in
children with food-induced attention deficit hyperkinetic disorder, Eur J
Pediatr, 1997;156:557-61.
Weiss, B. Food additives as a source of behavioural disturbances in
children. Neurotoxicology 1986;7:197-208
Weiss, B. The behavioural toxicity of food additives. In: Weininger J,
Briggs GM, editors. Nutrition Update. Vol 1. New York: John Wiley &
Sons; 1983. p.21-37.
From the above it is
clear that there is sound scientific evidence for a change in stance by the
NHMRC and that in fact community action is outrunning the NHMRC.
The NHMRC may be
interested to know that our website has had nearly 200,000 visits since establishment
in September 1999 and that we continue to receive thousands of reports of the
effectiveness of the Failsafe diet for ADHD and food intolerances. The
application of this diet is made more difficult if children are already on
medication.
It is also a concern to
the Food Intolerance Network that Australia leads the world in this area, in
the work with tens of thousands of children and adults at the Royal Prince
Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit, but that their excellent work has not been
written up and exposed to peer review. NHMRC could consider ways to assist this
Unit to bring the work of Drs Loblay, Swain and Soutter the prominence that
they deserve.
Based on the above
detailed scientific studies, the Food Intolerance Network proposes that NHMRC makes
the following recommendations:
The Food Intolerance
Network continues to support the current recommendation 11 ("Further research, including
comparative studies, should be undertaken to establish the cost-effectiveness
of the various components of management of ADHD").
We look forward to
inclusion of these recommendations in the review of the publication.
Yours truly
Mrs Sue Dengate Dr
Howard Dengate
![]()
Food
Intolerance Network
Coordinator:
Sue Dengate
PO Box 85 Parap NT
0804
phone +61 8 8981 2099
fax +61 8 8942 3099
email:
sdengate@ozemail.com.au
website: www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mr Graham Peachey
CEO FSANZ
CANBERRA ACT 2610
Dear Mr Peachey
We are writing to congratulate
you on becoming CEO of FSANZ at a time of rapid changes in the nature of food
and the regulatory environment.
As one of your key
stakeholder groups, we look forward to working with you over the next five
years and take this opportunity to introduce ourselves.
The Food Intolerance
Network provides information world-wide about the effects of food on behaviour,
health and learning in both children and adults, and support for families using
the low chemical elimination diet recommended by the Australian Royal Prince
Alfred Hospital - free of additives, low in salicylates, amines and flavour
enhancers (FAILSAFE).
We have been in existence
for over ten years and in that time have been instrumental in helping tens of
thousands of people deal with their problems, through Sue's four best-selling
books, through a free bimonthly e-newsletter that goes to over 1,500 people and
through eight current email support groups with up to 200 members in each. The
Network is run by Sue and Howard Dengate from Darwin.
Sue Dengate is a psychology
graduate, former teacher and food intolerance counsellor. Her interest in the
effects of foods on children's health, behaviour and learning began with her
own children's experiences. Sue established and coordinates the world-wide Food
Intolerance Network. In 2001 she completed a 'supermarket tour' around the
world, checking food additive use in 15 countries. Random House Australia has
published "Different Kids", "Fed Up", "The Failsafe
Cookbook" and her latest, "Fed Up with Asthma".
Dr Howard Dengate is
currently Executive Director Policy & Coordination with the Northern
Territory Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development. He studied
food technology at the University of NSW and worked for 10 years in wheat
research in New Zealand before becoming Director of the Agricultural Research
Institute, Wagga Wagga, NSW and then moving to the Territory 14 years ago as
Deputy Secretary in the Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries.
Our objective is to work
with the food industry and regulators to substitute safer additives than the 50
known to cause problems (see attached) and to ensure that labelling and
point-of-sale information allow people to avoid food components that trigger
their problems.
A particular target is removal
of the 5% labelling loophole, which allows food manufacturers to choose not to
declare additives, as having "no technological effect", even when
food-sensitive people suffer chronic ill-health or behavioural problems from
the cumulative effects of additives at such levels.
After surveying Network
members, we have three current campaigns on food additives:
We note that FSANZ's recent
Fellows Symposium gave FSANZ the key message that it must establish effective
partnerships with key stakeholder groups, and overcome the communication
challenges that arise if scientific information is incomplete and/or challenges
conventional thinking.
This communication is
two-way. We look forward to being engaged with FSANZ to challenge conventional
thinking and to provide a consumer viewpoint. We encourage you and your staff
to remain current with our complete and active website www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info.
Yours truly
Mrs Sue Dengate Dr
Howard Dengate
![]()
Coordinator:
Sue Dengate
PO Box 85 Parap NT
0804
phone +61 8 8981 2099
fax +61 8 8942 3099
email:
sdengate@ozemail.com.au
website: www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
______________________________________________________________________________________
Principal Health Inspector
NT Department of Health and
Community Services
GPO
CASUARINA NT 0811
Dear Sir or Madam
FORMAL COMPLAINT REGARDING COLONIAL FARMS GLUCOSE SYRUP
I wish to lodge a formal
complaint regarding misinformation in the labelling of the Colonial Farms Fine
Foods glucose syrup sold in the NT, as elsewhere in Australia.
The substance of my
complaint is that the label implies that the only ingredient is glucose syrup.
However glucose suppliers and manufacturers advise that the product contains
sulphur dioxide (additive 220) at up to 450 ppm. This amount is sufficient to
cause serious reactions in asthmatics sensitive to sulphites, as many are. This
issue has been raised by phone twice with the company over the last two years -
they admitted that there was sulphur dioxide in the product but they were using
up old labelling. Two years later there is no change in the labelling.
Enquiries were made because
members of Food Intolerance Network have been reporting health, behavioural and
learning reactions to this product, which should not be the case if the label
was accurate.
A letter from your Minister
recently advised that if people react to food additives, then they need only
read the label and avoid those foods. However this is only one example of many
where people do not know what is in their food unless they ring the
manufacturer and the manufacturer is willing to be honest, since regulatory
monitoring and surveillance is virtually non-existent.
In the Food Standards Code,
it is a criminal offence in Australia to supply food which does not comply with
relevant food standards, not a civil offence. Therefore I look forward to you
treating this complaint with the vigour that a criminal offence requires. The
letter will be posted on my website, as will your replies.
Yours truly
Ms Sue Dengate
cc The General Manager,
Colonial Farms Fine Foods,
cc Managing Director,
FSANZ,
cc Ms Louise Sylvan,
Australian Consumers Association, 57 Carrington Rd, MARRICKVILLE NSW 2204
![]()
Food
Intolerance Network
Coordinator:
Sue Dengate
PO Box 85 Parap NT
0804
phone +61 8 8981 2099
fax +61 8 8942 3099
email:
sdengate@ozemail.com.au
website: www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
______________________________________________________________________________________
Principal Health Inspector
NT Department of Health and
Community Services
GPO
CASUARINA NT 0811
Dear Sir or Madam
FORMAL COMPLAINT REGARDING LOWAN WHOLE FOODS KIDS BYTES
I wish to lodge a formal
complaint regarding misinformation in the labelling of Lowan Whole Foods Kids
Bytes Real Apple Fruit Filling with Yoghurt Ribbons sold in the NT, as elsewhere
in Australia.
The substance of my
complaint is that the label says clearly that, among other ingredients, it
contains "natural colour". However enquiries of the company resulted
in advice that this "natural colour" is in fact the artificial colour
tartrazine (102) AND artifical colour sunset yellow (110).
Enquiries were made because
members of the Food Intolerance Network had earlier been reporting health,
behavioural and learning reactions to this product, which should not be the
case if the label was accurate.
A letter from your Minister
recently advised that if people react to food additives, then they need only
read the label and avoid those foods. However this is only one example of many
where people do not know what is in their food unless they ring the
manufacturer and the manufacturer is willing to be honest, since regulatory
monitoring and surveillance is virtually non-existent.
In the Food Standards Code,
it is a criminal offence in Australia to supply food which does not comply with
relevant food standards, not a civil offence. Therefore I look forward to you
treating this complaint with the vigour that a criminal offence requires. The
letter will be posted on my website, as will your replies.
Yours truly
Ms Sue Dengate
cc The General Manager, Lowan
Whole Foods,
cc Managing Director,
FSANZ,
cc Ms Louise Sylvan,
Australian Consumers Association, 57 Carrington Rd, MARRICKVILLE NSW 2204
![]()
Food
Intolerance Network
Coordinator:
Sue Dengate
PO Box 85 Parap NT
0804
phone +61 8 8981 2099
fax +61 8 8942 3099
email:
sdengate@ozemail.com.au
website: www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info
______________________________________________________________________________________
Principal Health Inspector
NT Department of Health and
Community Services
GPO
CASUARINA NT 0811
Dear Sir or Madam
FORMAL COMPLAINT REGARDING SANITARIUM SO GOOD SOYMILK
I wish to lodge a formal
complaint regarding misinformation in the labelling of Sanitarium So Good
Soymilk, sold in the NT, as elsewhere in Australia.
The substance of my
complaint is that the label makes no mention of any antioxidants being used in
the oil used in formulating the soymilk. However enquiries of the company
resulted in advice that the oil has in the past contained antioxidant TBHQ
(319) and currently, following representations from the Food Intolerance
Network, is believed to contain a mixture of tocopherols (306-309). The Food
Intolerance Network asserts that scientific evidence is that TBHQ should not be
used in any food, while it accepts that tocopherols are safe. Enquiries were
made because members of the Food Intolerance Network had earlier been reporting
health, behavioural and learning reactions to this product, which should not be
the case if the label was accurate.
The Food Standards Code
1.2.3 requires declaration of all food additives in a compound ingredient where
the food additive is performing a technological function in the final food. The
Food Intolerance Network believes that the antioxidant is clearly performing a
technological function, otherwise why is it added, and so it should be
declared.
A letter from your Minister
recently advised that if people react to food additives, then they need only
read the label and avoid those foods. However this is only one example of many where
people do not know what is in their food unless they ring the manufacturer and
the manufacturer is willing to be honest, since regulatory monitoring and
surveillance is virtually non-existent.
In the Food Standards Code, it is a criminal offence in Australia to supply food which does not comply with relevant food standards, not a civil