When there moves in Europe to ban some of the food additives, I thought more would happen here. Now my eldest has started school it is really intersting to see what sort of food goes into the lunches. I hear lots of parents complaining about what their kids will eat - namely that their diet is somewhat limited. I rarely hear of other parents of the 5's and unders saying how they love their fruit and veges and are keen on hummus and the like.
Here it is still very easy to buy additive laden foods that masquerade as healthy foods for kids. I really did think that manufacturers would take a bit of notice what was happening in the UK. To be honest, some did and changed sugar levels, swapped to natural colourings etc - but there was no big public outcry.
Parents who borrow my copy of 'they are what you feed them' which is so well researched and readable - and now very dog-eared - are amazed at what is in the food that they feed their kids - but find it very daunting when everything in the pantry seems to have 'forbidden nasties'.
I actually look back at the days when we only had to contend with a few e-numbers as bliss. Now my husband and younger daughter have gluten intolerance, etc etc.
Food that is fresh tastes better. As for the kids - they love going to the orchard and picking which apples to have, tastings at the cheese shop and helping with the baking. It's just the simple things which are so much pleasure.
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The data from this work, published in the journal 'Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior', Remark that dietary habits play an important role to play in promoting excessive weight gain in children.
The problem lies in the fact that the companies and government help each other out on their quest for money and power and the public is programmed into a sleepwalking state of acceptance. These additives are there simply to improve shelf-life and therefore profit. (A conspiracy theorist would also maintain that they are there for the programming too.)
Most of the certification bodies, like the FDA in the USA do not do their own research, they commission other bodies for that, often the company making/marketing the product in the first place (like aspartame). It stands to reason that the findings are going to be "safe".
You mention Europe - it's not all singing and dancing here - it's sneakier. We still have the same problems, centralised and further away from the people's complaints. This site The Alliance for Natural Health is constantly campaigning on various issues and ridiculous laws that are imposed. It is well worth a read - I subscribe to their "e-blasts".
Another site that I have found useful for maybe "the bigger picture" is Time to Awaken where other food issues are also dealt with, such as the irradiation of food and the dangers of micro-waving food. They also have some interesting links to follow.
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