Who's afraid of food additives?

From the Daily Mail today:

'Parents should prevent their children eating foods with artificial colourings, the Government's food watchdog said today. The Food Standards Agency has toughened its advice to consumers amid increasing evidence that some E numbers cause hyperactivity in children. It said any parent who suspects their child's behaviour is linked to foods containing bright food colourings should ban these from their diet. Previous guidelines restricted the ban to children already diagnosed with hyperactivity or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Foods which are causing concern include fizzy drinks, party cakes, luridly coloured sweets and some crisps.'

The advice is based on a study done by the University of Southampton. But actually, the effect found in that study was quite small. Essentially, a few children are affected noticeably by these colours, but most are either not affected or the effect is small - as I noted at the time the study was published:

Who's afraid of... food additives