Is Titanium Dioxide Allowed in Food?
In the US yes, in the EU no. The European Food Safety Authority’s food additives panel concluded in May 2021 that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive, saying it could not exclude genotoxicity concerns after consumption of titanium dioxide particles. The European Commission removed its authorisation in January 2022, so titanium dioxide, E 171, may no longer be used in foods in the EU.
The FDA still allows titanium dioxide as a color additive in food, as long as the titanium does not exceed 1 percent of the food by weight. The FDA says some genotoxicity tests in EFSA’s assessment used materials or exposure routes not representative of dietary use, that it did not identify genotoxicity concerns from the data available, and that titanium dioxide did not cause cancer in National Toxicology Program studies. It is reviewing a 2023 petition asking it to end that use.
Texas passed a law requiring a warning label on food containing any of 44 listed ingredients, titanium dioxide among them, for labels developed or copyrighted from January 1, 2027. On February 11, 2026 a federal court barred the Texas attorney general from enforcing that section against the trade groups that sued and their members.
Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.
The sources behind this answer
- Government sourceEFSA’s food additives panel concluded in May 2021 that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive, because it could not exclude genotoxicity concerns after consumption of titanium dioxide particles. European Food Safety Authority ↗
- Regulatory filingCommission Regulation (EU) 2022/63 of 14 January 2022 removed the authorisation for titanium dioxide (E 171), so it may no longer be used in foods in the EU. European Union, EUR-Lex ↗
- Regulatory filingThe FDA allows titanium dioxide as a color additive in foods with titanium not exceeding 1 percent by weight, and is reviewing a petition filed April 14, 2023 asking it to repeal that use. US FDA ↗
- Government sourceThe FDA says some genotoxicity tests in EFSA’s assessment were not representative of the color additive or of dietary exposure, that it did not identify genotoxicity concerns from the data available, and that titanium dioxide did not cause cancer in NTP studies. US FDA ↗
- Regulatory filingTexas SB 25 requires a warning label on food containing any of 44 listed ingredients, including titanium dioxide, for labels developed or copyrighted on or after January 1, 2027. Texas Legislature ↗
- Legal caseOn February 11, 2026 a federal court granted a preliminary injunction barring the Texas attorney general from enforcing that section of SB 25 against the plaintiffs or their members. US District Court, Western District of Texas ↗
Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.