Today I came across a flavoured milk drink that has 'School Friendly' splashed all over it. Great! I thought. A healthy milk drink. Let's find out more... so I read the ingredients list: the second was sugar. And 5 e-numbers came in at the end. Really? This is deemed 'School Friendly'? So what exactly does the government regulation endorsement of 'School Friendly' actually mean?
As written on the side of the carton:
"Meets Government regulations (England and Wales) for use in schools. At least 90% milk and no more than 5% added sugar."
Also, written:
Full of milk goodness
No artificial colours, sweeteners, or preservatives
A source of calcium
A source of protein
Then underneath in the nutritional table:
Carbohydrates (per 100ml) 10.7g
of which sugars 10.5g
FYI: Did you know all these other names for "sugar"?
Other Names for Sugar
| Barley Malt | Syrup | Cane Juice | Caramel | Carob |
| Demerara | Dextran | Dextrose | Diastatic Malt | Diatase |
| Ethyl Maltol | Galactose | Golden Syrup | Lactose | Maltodextrin |
| Maltose | Molasses | Panocha | Sorbitol | Treacle |
| Xylitol | Erythritol | Maltitol | Sorghum | Turbinado |
but aside from the incredible sugar content which is deemed ok for our school children to consume, most alarmingly, check out the E-numbers:
E460 , E466, E407, emulsifier E471, colour E120
It specifically and clearly states in the information provided by ukfoodguide regarding E120 that this ingredient is "not recommended for consumption by children" !!
Have I missed something here? This product is deemed 'School Friendly' by government regulations and yet contains an ingredient that is not recommended for children to consume??!!
Researching more on the Food Standards Authority website, there are some colours that have certain restrictions around their low 'Acceptable Daily Intakes' (ADI's). As far as I could see, E120 was not one of them and is considered an EU approved additive. Most colour additives appear to have a 'non-specific' ADI or 'very high' ADI. Does this mean that E120 can be taken in large amounts without being harmful?
But if this is the case, why is it still considered not recommended to be consumed by children? Just how much flavoured milk needs to be drunk by an 8 year old before there is an adverse effect?
There is a point here somewhere, where I feel I could become overly alarmist and concerned but when it comes to my child's health, is there a line at all? It would be nice to have some clear answers from people who know.
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