**Alert** food safety for kids

[hannanat]

These are the numbers again

102 104 110 120 122 123 124 127 129 131
132 133 151 153 155 160b 173 174 175 249
250 251 252 280 281 282 283 310 311 312
319 320 321 385 407 407a 431 433 435 436
466 530 553 621 627 631 635 900 914 943a
950 951 952 954 967 1201 1520 1521

[wardygirl]

Shopping today, I was going to grab some home brand scotch finger bikkies until I checked and they had 320 in them too. I got the Arnotts brand and they didn't.

Thanks for the alert Nat, you've made me more conscious when I shop.
xx

ETA. Thanks for the whole list. Shopping is going to be a whole lot trickier, but safe.

[visitor2]

Thanks for the whole list Natalie. JUst printed it off so i can keep a eye on things.

[visitor2]

Can i ask a silly question about the additive website if the product comes up in products we love then they are safe to use even if they have numbers in them ?

I brought some Extra Juicy cordial because it was preservative free but it has numbers 330, 300 & 242 in it but i can't find it on the list. The orange one is the only one that doesn't have 110 in it.

[visitor2]

I just emailed one company to ask if they need to add the additive 320 in to their product as it's something designed for kids to make.

I've really started checking everything i buy now.

[Phteven]

The pesticides worry me too and I'm so glad I didn't see that episode, lol. I thoroughly wash all our fruit and veges because of that and also because of peoples grotty hands mauling them in the supermarket. Yucky.

Nat, there is an organic market at Flemington and also the farmer's market at Warwick Farm Racecourse has some pesticide free growers (although it's closed because of the flu at the moment)

[Ambah]

Can i ask a silly question about the additive website if the product comes up in products we love then they are safe to use even if they have numbers in them ?

I brought some Extra Juicy cordial because it was preservative free but it has numbers 330, 300 & 242 in it but i can't find it on the list. The orange one is the only one that doesn't have 110 in it.

Michelle - if the numbers don't come up as dangerous/questionable, then I wouldn't worry too much. There are additives with numbers that actually are natural and safe, but its very hard to tell the difference unless you look them up.

Couldn't believe it the other day... we let Aidyn have some Mexicana flavoured corn chips of ours.... and within 5 minutes he went absolutely off the wall. Crazy, hyper, silly, boisterous... just to name a few... it was insane seeing the change so dramatically in him. I check and I think it was the MSG... I can't believe how many foods they put MSG in ... I just don't see why they have to!!

[christy]

I know I've been reading labels alot lately as we have allergies in this house & now are on a preservative free diet... its crazy what has MSG in it and then another item on the shelf the same thing i.e. two different green curry pastes. One will have it and the other not. Its a matter of reading the labels. Shopping has been taking me hours lately.

[visitor1]

Gosh, DH eats those Aldi dip cracker thingys like they are going out of style. Hmm perhaps i should re think all foods i buy now

[christy]

I've got the book "the Chemical Maze" with all the numbered preservatives listed.

242 - DMDC Dimethyl Dicarbonate Functions: preservative, fungicide n oknown adverse effects. Used in fruit drinks, sports drinks and as a yeast in hibitor in wine.

300 - vitamen c, absorbic acid

330 - citric acid , food acid flavouring. ? :| may aggravate celiac disease.

[MrsFabuloso]

OMG scary stuff. It's just getting so hard to shop for healthy foods these days. Not only do we have to think about additives and hidden additives, pesticides,is it organic, is it Aussie made/local/ in season....the list goes on and on. I'm getting a headache thinking about going shopping now !!

[Phteven]

I've bought a copy of additive alert recently (at bigW) and become one of those people doing the shopping with my little list.
The book comes with a bookmark now that has all the worst numbers on it so you can carry your list more easily.
The boys favourite rice crackers are now banned from our house so I'm hunting a new flavour.

ADDITIVE ALERT
Food Intolerance Network

[Heaven]

Wow, just found this thread, scary!!!!!!!
Thanks for pointing it out Chloe.

[Phteven]

Sadly you can't assume that just because something was safe the first time you checked it that it still is. I did the shopping without the boys last week. Since I had the time I decided to double check all the 'safe' brands that I usually buy.
It turns out that Bulla has changed the ingredients in its vanilla ice-cream. Luckily I discovered the Weis ice-cream so now I'm in ice-cream heaven.
So, the moral of my little tale is please re-check every now and then because companies won't tell you when they pop a nasty new additive in.

[Astrid]

Sadly you can't assume that just because something was safe the first time you checked it that it still is. I did the shopping without the boys last week. Since I had the time I decided to double check all the 'safe' brands that I usually buy.
It turns out that Bulla has changed the ingredients in its vanilla ice-cream. Luckily I discovered the Weis ice-cream so now I'm in ice-cream heaven.
So, the moral of my little tale is please re-check every now and then because companies won't tell you when they pop a nasty new additive in.

Very true, always have a good look especially when there is new packaging. Found out Sakata changed their seaweed cracker recipe that way.

Also complain and complain if they do. I contacted Sakata about it and they had been inundated with calls and as such are in the process of redoing that flavour.

[Indadhanu]

WOW! The things you learn... off to google that site...