our smarties are dumb

Further to my post the other day about Smarties in the UK being without artificial ingredients, I received a reply from Nestlé Australia

Hi Daniel

We would like to advise that Nestle Australia does currently use artificial colours in SMARTIES.

We appreciate the concerns you have raised about the use of colouring in our SMARTIES. Australia has amongst the most stringent food standards regulations in the world. There are very clear requirements and rules around any form of ingredients, including food colourings and additives, intended for human consumption and the authorities conduct extremely strict testing prior to allowing any ingredient to enter the food chain. The SMARTIES colourings are approved under the Food Standards Code.

We have no plans to phase out the colourings we are using at present, however take note of your view on the use of the colouring in our SMARTIES.

Sincerely,

N. Gaudiosi
Food Advisor

How hard is it? I sent them the BBC News story.