Child meds contain "cocktail of additives"

By Tim Castle

LONDON (Reuters) - Additives banned from food for children under three can be found in a range of medicines for babies and toddlers, a study said on Saturday.

The Food Commission surveyed 41 medicines aimed at under-threes and found only one, Superdrug's Children's Dry Cough Syrup, that did not contain colourings or preservatives.

Two medicines, Morrisons Junior Paracetemol and Superdrug Junior Paracetemol Suspension, contained four different sweeteners.

The study, published in the Commission's Food Magazine, said some of the medicines warned the additives could cause side effects such as irritation of skin and eyes, stomach upset and diarrhoea.

No colours or sweeteners are allowed in foods and drinks for children under three, and most preservatives are banned, the magazine said.

But it said the children's medicines surveyed contained a "cocktail of additives".

Four contained sythetic azo dyes, although only one of the medicines warned that the colouring could cause "allergic reactions, including asthma".

"Whilst many children will be able to consume these products safely, there will be those who will suffer allergic reactions to these additives," said Food Magazine spokesman Ian Tokelove.