E171 contains titanium dioxide nanoparticles and is commonly used in a wide range of consumer products, including drugs and cosmetics. EU member states agreed on Friday to ban this artificial coloring because they question its safety .
The ban refers to the use of the additive in food, where it serves primarily as a bleaching and brightening agent in candy, gum, white sauces, and cake frosting.
Possible DNA damage
The Italian-based European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) discovered in May that there was a risk that nanoparticles could damage DNA, and a safe level for their daily intake could not be established.
France suspended its use in food last year after research suggested titanium dioxide could cause precancerous lesions in laboratory rats.
With no further objections from member states or the European Parliament by the end of the year, the ban will take effect in early 2022, according to a statement from the EU commission.
At the moment, the pharmaceutical industry, which also uses E171 in the manufacture of medicines , will not be affected by the ban, in order to avoid shortages of medical products.
In most European countries, E171 had largely disappeared from the composition of food products, but it was still found in some chewing gum, candy and cake decorations.