Additives in food are a controversial subject and one that has been widely discussed. There are particular concerns over additives in food and the effect that they have on children. However, there always seem to be rather a lot of conflicting information or general uncertainty about the effects that these are really having.
Very generally, parents who want to know whether food additives are making their children behave badly can be pretty assured that the answer is yes - but of course this is not as black and white as it may seem. Whilst it seems that additives do have a negative affect on the behaviour of children generally, it is not clear exactly what role each play in this.
Generally, additives have to be tested extensively before they can be permitted to be used in food of human consumption. They are tested to see how they react within the body and whether the additive has any toxic effects. This also includes tests to see if the additive poses any genetic risk and whether it can be seen to cause cancer.
From the start of the process to the end it can take up to 10 years for an additive to be passed as safe for use in food. This consists of 5 years for the actual safety testing, two year of assessment by the European Food Safety Authority and at least another three years for EU approval.