In June 2007, Sainsbury's became the first major supermarket chain to ban artificial colours and flavours from its own-label soft drinks range. The ban applies across the entire range of 120 own-brand drinks. Sainsbury's is also replacing aspartame with sucralose, a low-calorie sweetener made from sugar, and removing the commonly used artificial colouring sulphite ammonia caramel (E150d) from its cola drinks replacing it with barley maly extract. Marks & Spencer said none of its soft drinks contain aspartame or artificial flavouring and has already banned the use of more than 50% of the additives permitted by the EU especially those associated with health concerns over food intolerance and children's diets, including monosodium glutamate (MSG), cyclamates and tartrazine (E102).

Marks & Spencer's children's range of ready meals do not contain added preservatives, artificial colours, flavourings or sweeteners, and the permitted additives used in this range are agreed with the HACSG. The founder and secretary of the Group, Sally Bunday, said moves by major supermarket chains like Sainsbury's to remove harmful additives from children's food and drinks was "fantastic", adding that this is an important public health issue "which manufacturers can no longer brush under the carpet". The HACSG is putting together a research project scrutinising the policies of supermarkets on artificial colours and flavourings.

Lizzy Vann, of the Organix range of babyfoods said that they would like to see an outright ban on artificial additives in all children's food. "The fact is", she said,"small children are subjected to all sorts of ingredients that we just don't know enough about."