has anybody else found fruit shoot is a behavioural disaster

[zippitippitoes]

in toddlers?

the first email was returned undelivered so I sent it here instead

\link{http://www.britvic.com/britvic/where/Contact_Us\ here}

unless they have all fruit shoot emails on bounce back!

Have sent mine there too - will await response!!:)

My ds goes crazy after drinking the stuff. I also found he's the same after Ribena which I thought was a bit strange so both banned in our house!

well ribena is from the same stable..that is also avialble as a sugar free version isn't it,

in the interests of balance are there more people who think their children aren't affected?

Why do these drinks need to taste so sweet anyway?

Have received the following response::)

Dear Ms Greensleeves
Thank you for your email regarding Robinsons Fruit Shoot.

Sweeteners are perfectly safe and have a valuable role to play in the
manufacture of soft drinks.

They can be used on their own, in combination with other sweeteners or
in combination with sugar to provide the optimum taste for an individual
product. They also provide a low calorie alternative for those consumers
looking to limit their daily calorie intake or for those wishing to
limit sugar consumption. As a matter of policy, Britvic Soft Drinks only
uses fully permitted and approved ingredients in its drinks within the
limits specified by UK regulations. All ingredients are listed clearly
in the ingredients panel as required by law.

Sweeteners used by Britvic Soft Drinks include Aspartame, Acesulfame K
and Saccharin. Aspartame, is one of a number of sweeteners and is one of
the most thoroughly tested ingredients ever used in food. Extensive
scientific studies conducted over a period of thirty years have
conclusively shown that aspartame is completely safe. It is now widely
approved for use by the regulatory authorities throughout Western
Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and Japan.

A very small number of people may be sensitive to aspartame, just as
others may be sensitive to particular foods. Individuals who suffer from
phenylketonuria, a very rare inborn error of metabolism, are unable to
metabolise one of the natural components of aspartame. For the vast
majority of the population, however, aspartame is not a problem.

Saccharin is another permitted sweetener used by Britvic Soft Drinks
which has been safely used in foods for more than 100 years. In addition
to the UK, it is permitted for use in soft drinks by the EU and by more
than 90 countries worldwide.

Acesulfame K is a permitted sweetener used by Britvic Soft Drinks. In
addition to the UK, it is permitted for use in soft drinks by the EU and
by more than 90 countries worldwide.

All our drinks, including those containing minute amounts of sweeteners
are completely safe to drink and consumers can continue to enjoy them in
complete confidence.

We would also like to confirm that all the information we provide on our
labels are within UK and EU legislation, and regularly received positive
feedback from our consumers.

The Foods Standards Agency has dismissed claims, by the Food Commission,
that additives in food and drinks cause hyperactivity. In fact research
initiated by MAFF and inherited by the FSA, which suggested such a link,
has been rejected by a number of peer review journals and has not yet
been published.

In the opinion of the FSA's scientific experts, the findings are based
on subjective parental observation and there is no conclusive evidence
that food additives are a cause of hyperactivity. The FSA suggests that
the results of the research are not clear and the data questionable.

For further information on this issue, please contact the British Soft
Drinks Association on 020 7430 0356.

We trust you find this information useful and thank you for contacting
Britvic Soft Drinks.

Yours sincerely

Darryl Pitts
Britvic Consumer Care Advisor
Direct Telephone: 0845 8505222

Always nice to get a bog standard response that doesn't answer your question!! Good old Brtivic!!

"Darryl Pitts". Says it all. He probably has grapefruit juice for blood

I haven't had a reply yet!

No doubt it will be the same.

The subjective reports of parents is interesting because I've seen the behaaviour without knowing what he has had to eat or drink, it stands out a mile.

S/he is the pitts - arf arf.

Too many sweeteners - obviously rotted the brain. In fact, I would helpfully reply and suggest that!!

I will just admit and whisper very quietly

Starburst sweets however are another matter have banned those !

They are terrible - most mums dont realise how bad they are and the rubbish they contain. Most toddler play areas sell them and I noticed McDonalds sell them too. They market them as healthy and for toddlers but I never give them to my dd.

I just give her water or cartons of pure juice which are cheaper than the fruit shoots or I water down fruit juice in her beakers. I have seen the effect of bad ingrediants on kids - keep it plain and natural is the way.

Its annoying that nearly all diluted fruit drinks contain bad ingrediants. There a couple in the heatlth food section at supermarkets but for triple the price. Why are healthy alternatives with less ingrediants more expensive???

Actually I think it's incredibly irritating and patronising to tell parents that effectively they are hysterical and amking it up...er why would I do that?

I would happily volunteer to give darryl dgs after a fruit shoot to look after for several hours

ok some children may react to them my dd does drink them and has hyperactive moments but they are no worse of better no matter what she eats or drinks she runs round possessed after eating broccoli!! do you all suggest these types of drinks are banned? i try to give my daughter healthy home cooked food 90% of the time but the other 10% she does eat what many of you would term as crap food, i dont have sugar in anything i eat so most of the food i buy is full of sweeteners and i certainly dont want to live in a world that is all organic and healthy!! fair enough if you dont want to give your kids soft drinks dont buy them but many parents do buy them and there is nothing wrong with there decision to do so.

the fact they have a bog-standard reply obviously shows they get a lot of similar emails.

which means there's a lot of anecdotal proof that kids react to sweetners...

which completely negates what he say.

however, tragically as long as people keep buying them (and yes they are conveniently shaped bottles...), they won't bother doing anything

'most of the food i buy is full of sweeteners' um... nulnulcat, didn't your dd just throw something through a window?

Can i tell you all not to buy it then if no-one else has?

DONT BUY IT. Water does just fine.

she has had home made soup with bread and fruit for lunch, cheese and crackers for mid afternoon and chicken casserole with sweet potato for tea which i made and she didnt eat and has drunk diluted apple juice today - no additives or sweeteners in any of that and still devil child behaviour!

"people are still buying them" what is that meant to mean then? and what was the purpose of emailing britvic complaining about the drinks?

so what if my food is full of sweeteners, i didnt say i feed my kid it! not that stupid as to give dd diet coke!! most low calorie / low fat stuff has sweetener in it and that is the stuff i buy for me to eat,

So what's the difference between diet coke and fruit shoot, then, nulnulcat?

my diet coke usually comes with a large vodka for a start:o

Youre missing the point nulnulchav, dont be so defensive

(trust me, learn from my mistakes)