E171 - Titanium dioxide

At a glance

• What it is: an inorganic white colorant that adds whiteness and opacity
• Also called: E171; titanium dioxide
• Common uses: candies, chewing gum, icing/frosting, powdered mixes, and supplement coatings
• Region differences: no longer authorized as a food additive in the EU; permitted with limits in the U.S.
• Label check: “titanium dioxide” or “E171”
• Functional class: colour

Why is Titanium dioxide added to food?

Manufacturers use titanium dioxide to make foods and coatings look bright white and evenly colored. It also adds opacity, so products like icings, fillings, and tablet coatings look less transparent. The pigment is highly stable to heat, acids, and light, and it does not change flavor or aroma.

What foods contain Titanium dioxide?

Before recent regulatory changes in some regions, typical uses included chewing gum, confectionery, fine bakery wares (like icings and decorations), sauces, soups, and food supplements (especially tablet and capsule coatings).¹ In the European Union (EU), titanium dioxide (E171) was removed from the list of authorized food additives in 2022, so new EU foods should not contain it.²

In the United States, it may still be used as a color additive in foods within regulatory limits (see “Is it safe to eat?” below). Availability varies by brand and market.

What can replace Titanium dioxide?

There is no one-size-fits-all replacement, but common options include:

• Calcium carbonate (E170) for white color in some candies, coatings, and tablets
• Modified starches for opacity or to support alternative whitening systems
• Rice starch or other native starches for softer whitening in confections
• Calcium phosphates as opacifiers in certain applications
• For tablet polishes and protective coats, non-color options like carnauba wax or shellac

Suitability depends on the recipe, processing, desired shade, and local rules.

How is Titanium dioxide made?

Titanium dioxide is produced from titanium-bearing minerals (such as ilmenite or rutile) using either the sulfate process or the chloride process to yield pigment-grade TiO2 crystals with high brightness. It is an insoluble, inert white solid widely used as a pigment in many industries, including food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.³

Is Titanium dioxide safe to eat?

Safety decisions differ by region:

• United States: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists titanium dioxide as a color additive exempt from certification and allows it in food at levels not exceeding 1% by weight of the food, when used in line with its regulation in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).⁴
• European Union: In 2021, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded it could no longer consider E171 safe because a concern for genotoxicity (the potential to damage DNA) could not be ruled out.¹ Based on this, the EU removed E171 from the list of approved food additives in 2022 and set transitional measures to phase it out.²

It is important to distinguish eating titanium dioxide from breathing it in as dust. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified titanium dioxide as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2B) for certain inhalation exposures to airborne particles; this classification concerns breathing respirable particles and does not evaluate risks from eating the pigment in food.⁵

Does Titanium dioxide have any benefits?

Titanium dioxide offers no nutritional benefit. Its value is practical: it provides strong whiteness and opacity, helps create a consistent look, and can help keep coatings and fillings visually uniform over shelf life.

Who should avoid Titanium dioxide?

• People in the EU will generally not find E171 in new foods because it has been removed from the EU’s authorized list.
• Anyone who prefers to minimize synthetic pigments or who follows brand/company policies that avoid E171 can choose products that use alternatives like calcium carbonate or starch-based systems.
• If you want to avoid it in children’s diets, pay special attention to labels on candies, chewing gum, and decorated bakery items, where whitening is often used.

Myths & facts

• Myth: “It’s banned everywhere.” Fact: It remains permitted in the U.S. as a color additive when used up to 1% by weight of the food and otherwise compliant with FDA rules.⁴
• Myth: “The EU ban proves it causes cancer.” Fact: EFSA said it could not rule out genotoxicity based on available data; the EU decision reflects a precautionary approach, not a finding of proven harm at typical intakes.¹²
• Myth: “Eating it is the same risk as breathing it.” Fact: IARC’s cancer classification concerns certain inhaled, respirable particles; it does not evaluate ingestion in food.⁵

Titanium dioxide in branded foods

Brand formulas change often. To check current use:

• Read the ingredient list for “titanium dioxide” or “E171.”
• Compare products and regions. An item sold in the EU may differ from the version sold elsewhere.
• Look for products that advertise “no artificial colors” or that list alternatives like calcium carbonate or starches.

References

Footnotes

1. Safety assessment of titanium dioxide (E171) as a food additive. EFSA Journal (2021). https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6585 ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/63 — Amending Annexes II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 as regards the food additive titanium dioxide (E 171). EUR-Lex. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/63/oj ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. Titanium dioxide — Compound Summary. PubChem, National Institutes of Health. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Titanium-dioxide ↩

4. 21 CFR 73.575 — Titanium dioxide. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (ecfr.gov). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-73/subpart-A/section-73.575 ↩ ↩²

5. Titanium dioxide — IARC Monographs Volume 93 (2010). World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer. https://monographs.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/mono93.pdf ↩ ↩²