It's also worth noting that even prior to the EU decision, France had already outlawed titanium dioxide in food back in January 2020.
Titanium dioxide is used in an enormous range of food products, which can feel jarring when looking at some of its other uses.
A legal additive in the United States, titanium dioxide is used in everything from food to consumer goods and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says regulated use of the product as a color additive in food is safe within certain restrictions.
All samples (n = 6) were irradiated in a 96 well plate using an LED panel on top for 3 and 6 h before analysis. An identical set of samples were kept in the dark as controls. The temperature was checked and did not go over 37 °C. The intensity of light was also measured and was constant at 19,500.10 lux. (43.33 W in 0.2 m2), about 5 times less than actual solar light intensity on Earth's surface Therefore, these findings are indicative of even greater danger in real life.
Prof. Matthew Wright, chair of EFSA’s working group on E171, noted: “Although the evidence for general toxic effects was not conclusive, on the basis of the new data and strengthened methods we could not rule out a concern for genotoxicity and consequently we could not establish a safe level for daily intake of the food additive.”
In response to the allegations, Justin Comes, vice president of research and development at Mars Wrigley North America, told Health that safety is of paramount importance to Mars Wrigley. While we do not comment on pending litigation, all Mars Wrigley ingredients are safe and manufactured in compliance with strict quality and safety requirements established by food safety regulators, including the FDA.