Additives are a scary subject. Studies have shown that large amounts of some additives can be seriously bad for your health, and even worse for the health of growing kids. Here are a few you might want to watch out for:

• It's now a well known fact that additives can cause hyperactivity in kids. They do this by disrupting brain-signalling systems and stunting nerve cells. The biggest culprits are E110 (sunset yellow), E102 (tartrazine), E122 (carmoisine), E124 (ponceau 4R), E129 (allura red), E104 (quinoline yellow) and the preservative E211 (sodium benzoate).
• Not only do they cause hyperactivity, some research has suggested that the additives E104 (qunioline yellow), E407 (carrageenan) and E124 (ponceau 4R) may even slightly increase the risk of developing cancer.
• E211 (sodium benzoate), E102 (tartrazine), E220 (sulphur dioxide) are especially bad for asthmatics.
• The biggest worry is E951 (aspartame). There are many scare stories about this one (found in lots of things that contain the word diet or lite), but scientists have raised concerns over its possible role in affecting brain development of children in the womb, and it has been linked to other illnesses such as early onset Alzheimer's.
• All these additives can also can damage cell DNA and blunt the palate of young children, so they can't appreciate natural flavours.

Let's not be alarmist here. The occasional fizzy drink and bag of sweets is not going to harm anyone. But, as it is advised you don't use additives at home for everyday meals, Little Dish doesn't use them in their kitchen either.