The supermarket chain Asda is cutting artificial additives from all its own-brand food and soft drinks, it announced today.
Asda is clearing some 9,000 products of all E numbers, aspartame and hydrogenated vegetable oil.
The artificial colours and flavourings will be phased out of own-brand food and soft drinks on sale at the chain by the end of March.
It will mean some products losing the bright colours for which they are well known, Asda warned. For example, tinned peas will be a paler colour due to the removal of E102 which makes them look bright green, and
glace cherries will lose their brightness due to the removal of the E127 red colouring.
Flavours and colours used in Asda products will come from named natural sources, including herbs and spices.