The government will this week come under fresh pressure to protect children by moving towards an outright ban on potentially “hazardous” chemical additives in food, following the intervention of the influential organic food industry.

A powerful coalition of companies – whose members include the supermarket Waitrose, baby food manufacturer Organix, chocolate maker Green and Black’s, and Britain’s biggest organic brand, Yeo Valley – has accused the government’s Food Standards Agency of failing to consult it over new guidance for parents on the side-effects of E-numbers, and of ducking the opportunity for tighter regulation.

In a strongly-worded letter sent to Dame Deirdre Hutton, chairwoman of the FSA, at the weekend, the Organic Trade Group said it was unacceptable that the FSA was not making full information available to parents about crucial new research, adding that its new advice was flawed.

Two weeks ago the FSA published research by the University of Southampton which for the first time conclusively confirmed a link between specified additives and hyperactive behaviour.

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