E171
Safety
- What happened
The European Food Safety Authority concluded that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive, because it could not rule out damage to DNA (genotoxicity) after the particles are eaten.
- How far from your life
Everyday life
Titanium dioxide food whitener (E171) is on step 5 of 5. It is probably already in your life.
- Source
“Taking into account all available scientific studies and data, the panel concluded that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive.”Just Food, 7 May 2021
The bigger picture
More on E171
On step 5 of 5: Everyday life. Everything we track on it
- Setback
The EU ban took full effect: food made or sold in the EU after August 7, 2022 cannot contain titanium dioxide.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 July 2022 - Safety
The EU withdrew titanium dioxide's approval as a food additive (Regulation 2022/63), with six months for food makers to phase it out.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 July 2022 - Widely used
The EU's food safety agency found E171 widely eaten, mainly in baking ingredients, soups, sauces and sandwich spreads.
Just Food, 7 May 2021