EU bans additive utilized in sweets and desserts

EU member states on Friday agreed to ban a broadly used coloring additive for meals, referred to as the unreal coloring E171 on labels, after the European regulator questioned its security.

E171 accommodates nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, and is often utilized in a variety of shopper merchandise, together with medicines and cosmetics.

The ban pertains to the additive’s use in meals, the place it serves primarily as a whitening and brightening agent in sweets, chewing gum, white sauces and cake icing.

The Italy-based European Meals Security Authority (EFSA) in Might discovered that there was a danger that the nanoparticles may trigger DNA injury, and no secure degree for its day by day consumption might be established.

France suspended its use in meals final yr, following analysis suggesting titanium dioxide may trigger pre-cancerous lesions in lab rats.

With none additional objection by member states or the European Parliament by the top of the yr, the ban will enter into pressure in early 2022, mentioned a press release from the EU fee.

In the interim, the pharmaceutical business—which additionally makes use of E171 in drugs manufacturing—won’t be affected by the ban, to be able to stop a scarcity of medical merchandise.

The inexperienced mild for the ban is “the ultimate nail within the coffin of titanium dioxide as a meals additive“, mentioned Camille Perrin, a consultant of the European Shoppers Group (BEUC).

“In most European international locations, E171 had already largely disappeared from the composition of meals merchandise, however it was nonetheless present in some chewing gums, sweets and cake decorations,” she mentioned.

© 2021 AFP