Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) responded to the petition submitted by the Environmental Defense Foundation to "prohibit titanium dioxide as a color additive in food", and launched a 2-month solicitation of opinions on whether to ban titanium dioxide. As soon as the news came out, it immediately attracted the attention of the industry.

Titanium dioxide, chemical abbreviation TiO2, is a white solid or powdery amphoteric oxide, odorless, tasteless, stable physical and chemical properties, once considered to be a white pigment with the best performance in the world today, widely used in industry products, cosmetics and food. It is also one of the main ingredients in the global food and confectionery sector, and is often used as a food coloring agent, known as "titanium dioxide" or code E171.

21 CFR 73.575 of the Federal Regulations of the United States stipulates the requirements and restrictions for the use of titanium dioxide as a color additive in food. For example, the amount of titanium dioxide used should not exceed 1% by weight of the food, etc. However, the Environmental Protection Fund applicant asserts that the intended use of this colorant no longer meets the definition of "safe" in 21 CFR 70.3(i) of the US Code of Federal Regulations, citing the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) May 2021 The Opinion titled "Safety evaluation of Titanium Dioxide (E171) as a Food Additive" published in March 2019, as a reference, follows the process of issuing, amending or repealing regulations under Section 721(d) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C) , a petition filed by the Environmental Protection Foundation calls for the regulation to repeal Section 21 CFR 73.575, which no longer allows the use of titanium dioxide in food.

In China, titanium dioxide is widely used in the food and feed industry. In GB 2760-2014 "National Standards for Food Safety-Standards for the Use of Food Additives", titanium dioxide can be used as a colorant in various foods. GB 1886.341-2021 "National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Titanium Dioxide" also provides detailed descriptions of the sensory indicators, physical and chemical indicators, and detection methods of food additive titanium dioxide.

At present, the proposal is still in the process of soliciting opinions, and the time is 2 months. If it is unanimously agreed to ban the use of titanium dioxide in food after 2 months, then the US food industry will usher in a major change that newly produced foods will no longer use titanium dioxide as a color additive.

Therefore, Foodmate reminds relevant companies who plan to export related foods with titanium dioxide added to the United States, please strictly pay attention to the changes in regulations to ensure product compliance.