Hot Cross Buns

Flagged additives

• Tartrazine — Southampton study link to hyperactivity/attention effects in children; can trigger reactions in sensitive individuals.
• Sunset yellow FCF — Southampton Six colour; hyperactivity/attention concern in children.
• Allura red AC — Southampton Six colour; hyperactivity/attention concern in children.
• Titanium dioxide — Possible genotoxicity (DNA/chromosomal damage) could not be ruled out; no longer considered safe as a food additive.
• Ammonia caramel — Caramel colour class III; may contain 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), an animal carcinogen.
• Sodium benzoate — Preservative; can form trace benzene (a carcinogen) when combined with ascorbic acid; implicated in child hyperactivity studies.
• Sulphur dioxide — Sulphite preservative; can trigger asthma/allergic-type reactions, especially in asthmatics.
• Annatto / bixin / norbixin — Natural colour; occasional allergic/intolerance reactions.
• Phosphoric acid — Acidulant (colas); high total phosphate intake linked to bone-mineral and renal concerns in some studies.
• Calcium phosphates — Inorganic phosphate additives are highly bioavailable; high additive-phosphate intake is associated with increased cardiovascular and kidney burden, particularly in chronic kidney disease.