'Dangerous to consume': California resident sues Mars over Skittles toxin

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Northern California, alleges that Skittles candy, with the slogan "try the rainbow" because of its many colors, contains titanium dioxide toxin and is therefore "dangerous for human consumption." The edition told in more detail The Guardian.

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Janille Thames, a San Leandro resident, filed a lawsuit against Mars Inc, the confectionery company that makes Skittles. The plaintiff alleges that people who use Skittles "are at increased risk for a host of health effects that they were unaware of." Titanium dioxide - a genotoxin that can change DNA, which can lead to the formation of tumors.

The lawsuit alleges that Mars has long been aware of the perceived risks associated with the chemical and in February 2016 publicly pledged to phase out titanium dioxide. When France banned titanium dioxide in 2019, Mars said it would comply with the ruling.

The lawsuit alleges that Mars flaunted this promise six years ago, implying that the phase-out was only due to "consumers today urging food manufacturers to use more natural ingredients in their products."

“Incredibly, the defendant even stated that “artificial colors pose no known risks to human health or safety,” the lawsuit says. “At the same time, the defendant hid essential information known to him from consumers.”

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Thames claims that Mars still sells candy containing titanium dioxide as an additive in the US and "does not educate consumers about the consequences of consuming the toxin."

"Instead, the defendant relies on a list of ingredients printed in small print on the back, which is made more difficult to read due to the lack of color contrast between the print and the packaging," court documents noted.

Thames contends that Mars does not properly notify Skittles consumers of this unsafe supplement before or at the time of purchase, nor does it tell them that these candies "should be handled with care."

If you search Google for the name "titanium dioxide", you will find that this substance is not only in Skittles. It can be found in M&M's, many toothpastes, chewing gums, dairy products and even vitamins and medicines. In the post-Soviet space, titanium dioxide is labeled as additive E171.

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According to the European Food Safety Authority, titanium dioxide is "a pigment commonly used to give a cloudy effect and a white color." As a rule, it is used in the production of sweets and pastries. In 2021, authorities announced that "titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive."

“A critical element in this is that we cannot rule out genotoxicity after ingestion of titanium dioxide particles,” the agency said. “After oral ingestion, the absorption of titanium dioxide particles is low, but they tend to accumulate in the body.”

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