European food and beverage manufacturers should comply to the EU Regulation 1333/2008 which comes into effect on 20 July 2010.The regulation was adopted by the European Commission in July 2008 in response to studies linking the ingestion of food additive (including colour) mixtures and hyperactive child behaviour; and despite a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) opinion advising not to take any specific action until the availability of further proof of adverse reactions induced by food colours in children.

EU Regulation 1333/2008 requires that the synthetic azo dyes, otherwise known as the ‘Southampton Six’: sunset yellow (E110), quinoline yellow (E104), carmoisine (E122), allura red (E129), tartrazine (E102), and Ponceau 4R (E124) be labelled by their common names or E numbers in the list of ingredients along with the following warning statement: "may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children".

Food and beverage producers have therefore less than 4 months left to either reformulate or make sure that the warning statement is correctly displayed on packaging. An interesting interview  made with Dr. Andreas Ernst of BASF about this issue can be read here.