The carcinogenic dye titanium dioxide (E171) will be banned in the EU from 2022. So provides the European Commission’s proposal, approved on 8.10.21 by the PAFF(Plants, Animals, Food and Feed) Committee in which member state representatives participate.
Titanium dioxide, an attack on health
Titanium dioxide (TiO2), identified by the European abbreviation E171, has been used for decades as a white coloring agent in a variety of products such as chewing gum, pastries, baked goods, dietary supplements, soups, and broths.
The hazardousness of the additive is determined by the size of its constituent particles, even smaller than 100 nm. In fact, these nanoparticles can penetrate the natural protective barriers of the human body and accumulate in the liver, lungs, and digestive system. With carcinogenic and genotoxic (i.e., harmful to DNA) effects.
Risk management, the French initiative
Numerous scientific studies over the years have highlighted the risks related to dietary exposure to titanium dioxide, even though it was authorized in the EU as a food additive with a coloring function (E171). And it is to France’s credit that it is at the forefront of risk management, with a ban on its use in food as of 1.1.20.
The French initiative has met with staunch opposition from industrial lobbies, but also support from consumer groups and civil society. So, too, that of the European Parliament.
EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, tasked with re-evaluating the safety of titanium dioxide, brought in some of the leading experts in nanotechnology. To conclude, in May and June 2021, that it‘can no longer be considered safe when used as a food additive’ nor as a feed additive.
A belated ban
The EU decision unfortunately came years too late in the emergence of serious public health risks. A delay to be attributed to resistance from Big Food, which has had time to find alternative ways to color its products white.
In fact, our August 2017 market survey showed the widespread use of titanium dioxide on references that are often intended for children. Such as Perfetti Van Melle’s Mentos Now Mints and M&Ms pralines, as well as numerous snack bars and cake decorations.
The delayed ban will thus serve to remove the poisonous dye from foods that still contain it. Not a few dietary supplements, as well as some sweets and confectionery products. However, latecomers will be eligible for an additional six months of transition period, until June 2022.
A victory for consumers
European consumers can celebrate a victory. For forcing the European Commission to manage a real food safety risk, in spite of resistance from adverse lobbies.
SAFE Advocacycomments, ‘After a three-month control period by the European Parliament and the Council, the European Commission will remove E171 from the list of permitted food additives (the second annex of Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008)-which means that an EU-wide ban on the substance will finally become a reality. Great news for consumers!‘.
Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, said, ”The safety of our food and the health of our consumers is non-negotiable. Today we are acting decisively with our member states, based on sound science, to eliminate a hazard from a chemical used in food‘.
Titanium dioxide, the risk in drugs
Paradoxically, the ban applied to foods and dietary supplements does not apply to drugs, where titanium dioxide is still widely used. As evidence of the titanic power of the Big Pharma lobby, which claims to continue using a dangerous substance for a frivolous marketing claim, the bright white color of the tablets.
European institutions-European Medicines Agency, EMA first and foremost-try to justify this disgrace on the grounds that the ban could cause a sudden drug shortage. Deliberately ignoring the dutiful choice of ‘phasing-out‘. Better gray, the pills, but free of hidden side effects.
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
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