Young children and babies are routinely being given medicines containing artificial dyes, sweeteners and preservatives that are banned from food and drink for the under 3s.

Research carried out by the Food Commission has found that just one of 41 medications intended for children was free of additives, while many contained a cocktail of colourings, sweeteners and preservatives that can trigger allergic reactions such as rashes, eye irritation, stomach upsets and diarrhoea.

Many brands examined in the study by the commission, which campaigns for food safety, are commonly found in family medicine cupboards.

The researchers said that, while some additives were needed to help children to take unpalatable medicines, the quantity of substances banned for use in food and drink for the under 3s raised concerns. They called for warnings on all medications that could trigger allergic reactions.

One example was azo dye colourings, in Anbesol teething gel, Buttercup infant cough syrup, Calpol Paracetamol, Sudafed Children’s Syrup and Superdrug Children’s Chesty Cough Syrup.

Sweeteners were found in 37 products and two — Morrisons Junior Paracetamol and Superdrug Junior Paracetamol Suspension — intended for babies over 3 months contained a mixture of four sweeteners, some of which can have a laxative effect in high doses.

Preservatives such as benzoates, listed in ingredients as E210 to E219, were found in 31products. Tyxilix Night Cough Syrup, for toddlers aged 1 and over, included both a benzoate and a sulphite preservative.

This did at least give warning in the small print that “Sulphite may rarely cause hypersensitivity reactions and bronchospasms [contraction of the air-ways].”

The only medication that did not contain additives was Superdrug’s dry cough syrup for children aged 1 and over.

Ian Tokelove, spokesman for the commission, called on the pharmaceutical companies to clean up their act. He urged them to follow the example of sweets manufacturers, who use natural colourings such as beetroot and beta-carotene instead of azo dyes.

“While many children will be able to consume these products safely, there will be those who will suffer allergic reactions to these additives,” he said.

“We believe that colourings and artificial sweeteners can be replaced with natural alternatives and the use of preservatives should be rigorously questioned.” Use of the additives was defended by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which said that sweeteners and bright colours helped children to take medicine. It said that rules were less strict than on food and drink because medicines were not consumed every day.

A spokesman for Calpol, owned by Johnson & Johnson and Britain’s bestselling children’s medicine, also defended the use of additives. “Ensuring children take their medicine is important to parents,” he said. “Preservatives are used to ensure the medicines do not lose their purity.

“The ingredients contained within children’s medicines are clearly labelled on the packaging to enable parents to make an informed choice about the medicine they administer to their child.”

Richard Watts, children’s food and health campaigner at Sustain, said that the findings showed the need for strong scrutiny of the sector. “This is a very interesting survey which suggests a concerning potential loophole in the law,” he added.

Medicines with additives

Children’s medicines said by the Food Commission to contain at least one colouring, preservative, sweetener or flavouring banned in food and drink for the under3s:

Anbesol teething gel Beecham’s Veno’s for kids chesty cough syrup 2yrs plus

Benadryl allergy oral solution 2yrs plus Benylin children’s tickly coughs 3mths plus

Benylin children’s coughs and colds 1-12yrs Benylin children’s chesty coughs 1-12yrs

Benylin children’s dry coughs 1-12yrs Benylin children’s night coughs 1-12yrs

Boots dry cough syrup 1yr plus Boots Night Time Cough Syrup 1yr plus

Boots Pain Relief 3mths plus Boots Pain Relief

Paracetamol Suspension 3mths plus Bonjela teething gel

Buttercup infant cough syrup 2yrs plus Calgel teething gel 3mths plus

Calpol paracetamol 2mths plus Calprofen Ibuprofen 6mths plus

Cuprofen for children (Ibuprofen) 6mths plus Dentinox teething gel

Disprol paracetamol suspension 3mths plus Infacol colic treatment from birth

Medinol under6 paracetamol 3mths plus Medised pain and fever relief 3mths plus

Meltus chesty coughs 1yr plus Meltus baby cough linctus 3mths plus

Meltus dry coughs 2yrs plus Morrissons junior paracetamol 3mths plus

Nurofen for children 3mths plus Piriton allergy syrup 1yr plus

Sudafed children’s syrup 2yrs plus Superdrug children’s chesty cough syrup 1yr plus Superdrug Junior Ibuprofen suspension 6mths plus

Superdrug junior paracetamol suspension 3mths plus Tesco children’s ibuprofen 6mths plus

Tixylix baby syrup 3mths plus Tixylix Cough and Cold 1yr plus

Tixylix chesty cough syrup 1yr plus Tixylix dry cough syrup 1yr plus

Tixylix night cough syrup 1yr plus Unichem Junior Ibuprofen Suspension 6mths plus

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