Titanium dioxide food whitener (E171)
E171 is titanium dioxide used as a food coloring, to make foods white and opaque. The EU banned it in food in 2022, after its food safety agency said it could no longer be considered safe.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 July 2022How far from your life: It is probably already in your life.
Independently sourcedFrom lab to your life
Why it’s on step 5
- 1Lab discovery
- 2Working prototype
- 3Real-world testing
- 4Approved or on sale
- 5Everyday life
The rule
Widely used: in products or treatments that reach millions of people, or sold in ordinary shops.
- The EU's food safety agency found E171 widely eaten, mainly in baking ingredients, soups, sauces and sandwich spreads. Just Food, 7 May 2021
The short version
What you need to know
- Is it really nano?
Partly nano
E171 is a white pigment rather than an engineered nanomaterial, but part of it is nanoparticles, and new evidence on those weighed in the EU review.
Just Food, 7 May 2021- Where you’ll find it
Still allowed in some countries, such as the UK outside Northern Ireland; banned in food in the EU since August 2022.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 July 2022- Who’s behind it
A common white pigment, used by many food makers
On the record
Every step, dated
Newest first. Company-reported means the only source so far is the company itself.
- 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 - 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
Is it safe?
What regulators have said
Rulings and reviews from regulators and official scientific panels, oldest first.
- 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 - 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
Sources
Where every line comes from
Each source with the passage, word for word, that backs what we wrote.
- Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 July 2022
Titanium dioxide is used to provide whiteness and opacity to foods.
- Just Food, 7 May 2021
including new scientific evidence and data on nanoparticles