Home › Ingredients › Food › Titanium Dioxide

Titanium Dioxide

Not approved

Banned as a food additive across the EU in 2022 after EFSA could not rule out genotoxicity from nanoparticles.

E / INS number: E171
CAS number: 13463-67-7
Class: Artificial Dye
Allowed in organic: No

Also known as

e171ti02

Regulatory status

Jurisdiction	Status	Notes	Source
CA	permitted	Permitted in Canada; Health Canada published a state-of-the-science report in 2022 reaffirming safety.	Health Canada
EU	banned	Banned as a food additive across the EU after EFSA's May 2021 opinion that titanium dioxide (E171) can no longer be considered safe due to potential genotoxicity. (2022-08-07)	EFSA
FR	banned	France banned E171 in food a year ahead of the EU-wide ban under decree of 17 April 2019. (2020-01-01)	French Government
UK	permitted	Permitted in the UK; Food Standards Agency disagreed with EFSA conclusion and retained authorization post-Brexit.	UK FSA
US	permitted	Permitted by FDA as a color additive (21 CFR 73.575).	FDA

Other artificial dye ingredients

Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue FCF)Blue 1 Lake (Brilliant Blue FCF Aluminum Lake)Blue 2 (Indigo Carmine)Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO)Caramel Color (Class IV)Caramel Color (generic)Citrus Red 2 Green 3 (Fast Green FCF)Red 3 (Erythrosine)Red 40 (Allura Red AC)Red 40 Lake (Allura Red AC Aluminum Lake)Yellow 5 (Tartrazine)

Scan it instead of reading labels

SmartChoice checks every ingredient on a product against these same rules — point your camera at the barcode and get a verdict in seconds.

Get SmartChoice — free on iPhone

Educational information, not medical, dietary, or safety advice. Classifications reflect our editorial rules plus cited regulatory sources. Always read the product’s own label.