Highlights

Two ingredients banned in the United States. One used to have to carry a warning label. 1 calorie per serving and no nutrition whatsoever.

Most food producers have been playing it safe by replacing saccharin with aspartame in most foods.

The third artificial sweetener is sucralose ( 955), which is the only noncaloric artificial sweetener made from sugar and has no known health effects. It is also known under the trade name ‘‘ Splenda’’. Flavour This will be artificial flavour to get the raspberry taste. Colour ( 123) Another horrendous food additive amaranth ( 123) has also been banned for use in food in the United States since 1976.

High doses of this colouring caused a statistically significant increase in a variety of cancers in female rats, which led to the ban. Preservative ( 211) This is potassium benzoate, which is the potassium salt of benzoic acid. That has been the subject of a large assessment across many countries including New Zealand to try to find the concentration of this in our foods. In low percentages, as in New Zealand, it is thought to be safe. My recommendations Two additives that have been banned in the United States should send any consumer running and then there is the one that used to be labelled as hazardous to your health and listed as a carcinogen.

I know it is good to reduce sugar intake but replacing sugar with a chemical cocktail is not the way to go.

Fruit juice is high in sugar but your child is getting some nutrition with it rather than empty calories, or non calories in the case of this drink.

So dilute the fruit juice with water half and half and limit juice drinks to one a day and encourage nice, crisp cold water instead.

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