Q: "I try to avoid my children consuming food and drink that contain additives. Should I be avoiding certain children's medicines for them too?"

A: Anna Glayzer, co-ordinator of the Action on Additives campaign at the Food Commission, which has just completed a survey into additives in children's medicines, says: "Fears over additives shouldn't take precedence in deciding whether to give your child medicine.

"However, what our survey highlights is yet another way in which it's virtually impossible for a parent to avoid additives. We've found over 700 wide-ranging products for sale in the UK that contain one or more of the seven additives linked to an increase in hyperactivity in children (full list available at www.actiononadditives.com).

"A parent determined to avoid additives in food and drink would have to scrutinise the ingredients of every item bought and a whole host of other measures. Include the issue of additives in medicines, where the ingredients list is often sealed inside the packet, and FSA advice to parents to avoid certain additives if they suspect their children are susceptible to hyperactivity, starts to look farcical.

"Parents have been telling us that they believe certain medicines have caused adverse reactions in their children, yet the MHRA (Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority) and drugs manufacturers claim no evidence of adverse drug reactions has emerged.

"The removal of these unnecessary additives from all food, drink and medicine would be a simple way to help make being a parent a little easier."