The EU has approved the European Commission’s proposal to ban the use of titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive starting in 2022. Widely used as a coloring in fine pastry, ice cream, and confectionery, it was already banned in France in 2020.

The Commission proposal is based on a scientific opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which concluded last May that E171 could no longer be considered safe when used as a food additive, in particular due to the fact that concerns about its genotoxicity cannot be ruled out. “The safety of our food and the health of our consumers is not negotiable. Today we are acting decisively with our Member States, based on sound science, to eliminate the risk of a chemical used in food,” says Stella Kyriakides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety.

If the Council or the European Parliament does not raise an objection before the end of the year, the measure will come into force in early 2022 after a phase-out period of six months.