Probe Call into Fizzy Drink Fear

AN influential MP yesterday demanded that food safety experts carry out further tests on a preservative used in some soft drinks.

The call by Lib Dem Norman Baker came after an academic raised fears over E211, known as sodium benzoate.

Professor Peter Piper, of Sheffield University, claims tests show the common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

And Piper, an expert in ageing, believes prolonged damage could cause degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.

Baker, the chairman of the We stminster all-party environment group, said: “A lot of chemicals were tested many years ago when standards were less rigorous than now.

“Professor Piper has studied this for some years so we should be taking his concerns seriously.

“I will be writing to the Food Standards Agency to ask them to carry out further investigation and I would advise parents to make sure there is no overexposure to these drinks for their children.”

Industry body the British Soft Drinks Association disputed the research.

Spokesman Richard Laming said: “All ingredients used by the soft drinks industry are considered as safe to use by the Food Standards Agency.”

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