Wednesday, November 4, 2026Updated every morning at 5:30 AM ET
NanotechProgress

E171

Setback

What happened

The EU ban took full effect: food made or sold in the EU after August 7, 2022 cannot contain titanium dioxide.

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
“Food produced or placed on the market after 7 August 2022 cannot contain titanium dioxide.”Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 July 2022

The bigger picture

More on E171

On step 5 of 5: Everyday life. Everything we track on it

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. Safety

    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.

    Just Food, 7 May 2021