Lizzie Vann Foundation
We focus on additives and contaminants in food and drink||We aim to protect pregnant women, infants and children||You can find information & advice on food additives & contaminants
The Lizzie Vann Foundation, established in 2025, is the first UK based charity to focus on those additives and contaminants in food and drink which could damage the health and well-being of families, with a particular emphasis on children and pregnant women. The charity was established with funding from Lizzie Vann, a long-time campaigner and funder of work in this area.
Who we are
What we do
Our work
News & Publications
Lizzie Vann Foundation
Who we are
Mission
We provide easy to understand and timely evidence-based information and advice on additives and contaminants, campaign for change, raise awareness. Find out more
Our Ethos
We fully support the Precautionary Principle as a guiding principle in decision making on the safety and use of additives and for controls on contaminants in food and drink. This principle was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1982 as part of the World Charter for Nature, and by the EU as a guiding principle in 2015. Find out more
Funding
The Lizzie Vann Foundation is funded directly by Lizzie Vann. In future the Foundation will apply for additional funds through independent research funders where this is in line with our conflict of interest statement.
‘By default we are conducting a massive toxicological experiment, and our children are the ‘experimental animals’’
H Needleman, Quoted in: Schettler T, Stein J, Reich F, Valenti M, Wallinga D. In Harm’s Way. Toxic Threats to Children’s Development. Boston: Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, 2000:103.
What we do
Protecting pregnant women, infants and children
Protecting pregnant women
Pregnancy is a time of physiological change and it is well established that the foetus is sensitive to its environment in the womb. The many changes that occur in how mother and baby process and handle substances that enter the mothers’ body from conception onwards increase both maternal and foetal exposure to additives and contaminants.
Protecting Infants
Infants are defined as those in the first year of life: from birth to their first birthday. It is no surprise that infants are considered highly vulnerable to the impact of food additives and contaminants due to the relatively higher intake they are often exposed to because of their low body weight.
Protecting children
Children from their first birthday to their 4th birthday are often called toddlers or pre-schoolers. This is also a period of rapid growth and development and a time when the developing child is exploring the world around them.
What we do
Regulation of additives and contaminants in food and drink
Our Work
Food Additives
Additives have been added to foodstuffs for centuries to preserve foods, change the texture and taste of food and increasingly to make food look and taste more attractive using less of the expensive ingredients that might naturally do that. Increasing the shelf-life of foods, and making foods more convenient to the consumer have been major drivers of changing food composition. Whilst some additives have been added to foods for centuries it became apparent in the 20th century that systems were needed to control the compounds that were allowed in foods, and increasingly the levels at which they are allowed.
Our Work
Contaminants and natural toxins in food
There are a number of ways that contaminants can enter the food supply as we are surrounded by a multitude of different chemicals used for specific purposes in everyday life. As a consequence, there are various hazardous substances like dioxins, phthalates and flame-retardants circulating in the environment as well as contact materials from food packaging which can leach into food. Natural toxins can also find themselves entering the food chain for human consumption and process contaminants are generated in food as a result of chemical or heat reactions occurring during cooking and processing. These can all have an impact on ecosystems, wildlife and human health.
News, Publications and Links
Publications & Reports
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