Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes:

(i)

recent research published in The Lancet (vol. 370, 3 November 2007) that highlights possible negative behavioural impacts on children associated with the consumption of the following food colourings: Tartrazine (lemon yellow) (l02), Quinoline yellow (104), Sunset yellow (110), Carmoisine (red) (122), Ponceau 4R (red) (124) and Allura red AC (129),

(ii)

that in April 2008, the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency called for a ban on the use of these food colourings and the voluntary removal of these colourings by food manufacturers,

(iii)

that in July 2008, the European Parliament passed legislation mandating the labelling of any food products containing these colourings, and

(iv)

that these food colourings are currently approved for use in Australia by Food Standards Australia New Zealand; and

(b)

calls on the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing (Senator McLucas) to place the issue of banning these food colourings on the agenda of the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council scheduled for 24 October 2008.

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You have been granted leave for two minutes, Senator McLucas.

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. I appreciate that there is concern in the community amongst a range of people about food colourings. I can advise the Senate that FSANZ has assessed the study referred to in the motion and has concluded that this study provides some evidence of a weak and limited effect on children’s behaviour of the food colour mixtures used. The results of the study do not provide a credible basis for public health concern and certainly do not provide the necessary scientific evidence to amend the existing permissions in the Food Standards Code.

FSANZ has concluded that the results were not consistent with respect to age and gender of the children, the effects of the two mixtures of additives tested and the type of observer. The data provides no information on dose response. The effect size was small and of unknown clinical or practical relevance. The study design uses mixtures of colours combined with preservatives and it is not possible to identify the effects of the individual additives. Further, there is no known plausible biological mechanism that might explain the possible link between the consumption of colours and behaviour.

FSANZ’s conclusions are consistent with separate and independent reviews conducted by the United Kingdom committee on toxicity and the European Food Safety Authority. Neither the UK Food Standards Agency nor the European Food Safety Authority has proposed to ban the colours used in this study and neither agency has concluded that the study provides a credible basis for such action.

In the context of Australian and New Zealand dietary intakes, the Southampton study did not test a real dietary exposure scenario that is relevant to Australia and New Zealand as the drinks given to the children contained food colours at a concentration based on maximum permitted levels in food rather than actual manufacturing levels. The combinations—

Alan Ferguson (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator McLucas, leave was granted for two minutes and you have been in excess of that for some time now.

Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy President, I seek leave for a very short finishing sentence.

Leave granted.

Thank you. The combinations and concentrations of colours used in the Southampton study are not present in food products available to the public in Australia and New Zealand. Notwithstanding the overwhelming view that the Southampton study is not sufficient cause to instigate any further tightening of the permissions in the Food Standards Code, FSANZ is in the process of estimating the amounts of a range of colours that are consumed by Australian children based on the analytical concentrations found in a recent food study, and that report will be able to be provided later this year.

Question put:

That the motion (Senator Siewert’s) be agreed to.