The food and drinks industry has reacted quickly to research that has linked certain food colourings with hyperactivity in children.
Some food companies in Ireland say they were already removing artificial colourings from their products, while industry lobby groups have highlighted perceived shortcomings of the study by researchers from the UK's Southampton University.
The Food and Drink Industry Ireland (FDII), which represents Irish manufacturers, was one of the first to pick holes in the research.
"It is important to reassure consumers that the study does not suggest there is a safety issue with the use of these additives," said an FDII statement.
"In addition, the way in which the additives were tested as a mixture is not how they are used in everyday products."
In the study, which has received worldwide coverage since being published in the Lancet yesterday, children were asked to drink a daily cocktail of colourings and a preservative, equivalent to the quantity found in two bags of sweets.
The report's authors said the additives exacerbated hyperactive behaviour, and children were more likely to fidget and lose concentration after consuming the additives.
The additives are: the preservative sodium benzoate and artificial food colourings sunset yellow (E110) and quinoline yellow (E104), tartrazine (E102), ponceau (E124), carmoisine (E122) and allura red (E129).
Food authorities throughout Europe have urged concerned parents to avoid buying products containing the additives, and yesterday, the European Commission said it has asked the European Food Safety Authority to evaluate the UK study. Any Europe-wide ban of the products would come from this authority.
Some food safety lobbyists have said that the British and Irish food authorities have not gone far enough, and should have banned the colourings immediately.
In a second statement issued later yesterday, the FDII seemed to soften its approach: "Manufacturers are responding to consumer sensitivities about the use of additives in food products," said its director Paul Kelly.
In Ireland, Tesco says that 30 products out of 8,000 own brand items contain artificial colours and they will soon be additive-free. Marks and Spencer are also in the process of stripping artificial colours from its foods. The firm says that just 1 per cent of its foods - mainly confectionary - contain the colourings.
Unilever, which makes hundreds of food products, says it has almost finished stripping artificial colours from its ingredients. A spokesman for the Kerry Group said that it will work with any recommendations issued by the Food Safety Authority.
E numbers: artificial colourings studied
Sunset yellowE110
Quinoline yellow E104
Tartrazine E102
Ponceau E124
Carmoisine E122
Allura red E129