In the future, chewing gum, sweets and other foods will have to do without the widespread white dye titanium dioxide. On Friday, January 14, the EU Commission issued a ban on the additive in food due to possible cancer risks. According to the information, it will come into force in six months. “With today’s ban, we are removing a food additive that is no longer considered safe,” said EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.
The substance known as E171 is also found in baked goods, soups and salad dressings. The EU Commission presented its proposal in spring 2021 based on a revised recommendation from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The EU states had already approved the ban. France had already banned the substance in the food sector in 2020.
Titanium dioxide is therefore suspected of being carcinogenic if it is absorbed through the respiratory tract and gets into the lungs. There, the nanoparticles trigger an immune reaction, causing the tissue to become inflamed and cancer to develop. In experiments with rats, inflammation of the intestines was again found after ingestion of the usual amounts of titanium dioxide through food. Another study also suggested that the dye may increase inflammation in the digestive tract. The reassessment also focused on concerns about possible mutagenic effects of titanium dioxide. After evaluating the available data, the suspicion of a mutagenic effect of these dye particles could not be refuted. Titanium dioxide is only absorbed in small amounts through the intestines, but is then difficult to excrete: It can therefore accumulate in the body.