Adverse reactions to food additives.

The first published report of an adverse reaction to a food additive was that provided by Lockey (1959). He described urticaria in a patient who was given steroid therapy, the formulation of which contained tartrazine. In 1973 the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food’s Food Additives and Contaminants Committee produced an interim report on the Review of the Colouring Matter in Food Regulations. In the report the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment noted that there had been a number of reports of hypersensitivity reactions following the experimental ingestion of certain food colours; the evidence suggested that such reactions were rare. The Committee further noted that there was suggestive evidence of idiosyncratic reactions following ingestion of food containing usual levels of colouring. They were concerned about the situation but as hypersensitivity to food constitutes a general problem and is not confined to colours, they felt that useful recommendations could not be made until clearer evidence from well-controlled studies in man became available. In 1979 the Commission of the European Community’s Scientific Committee for Food reported on certain colouring matters and noted similar problems. It is obviously easier to detect the presence of colouring matter than other additives in foods and there can be no doubt that this situation has led to colours being tested more frequently than other additives for their potential to produce adverse reactions in sensitive individuals. Furthermore, the reasons for using colouring matters (for example, in food to replace colour lost in processing, to inhibit or mask fading, and to ensure uniformity in the appearance of a particular product; and in medicines to aid correct identification) are not universally accepted. The Scientific Committee for Food, knowing of concern about the use of colouring matters in food, were also aware of the possibility that other food additives could provoke adverse reactions. The Committee therefore suggested to the Commission, in 1979, that a working group should be set up to consider adverse reactions to ingested additives present in food, drug formulations and cosmetics. This working group presented its findings to the Scientific Committee for Food in 1981 and its report was published the following year (Commission of the European Community, 1982). Much of the following presentation will be based on participation in this working group, but an attempt will be made to emphasize those questions of particular concern, from a regulatory point of view, for the UK.