Skittles is being sued in the US over a dangerous toxin, but it's in dozens of other foods we eat regularly

Skittles was sued for containing titanium dioxide. But candy maker Mars says "the use of titanium dioxide is FDA compliant," reports USAToday.

Photo: Shutterstock

In a lawsuit filed last week, the consumer claimed Skittles were "unfit for human consumption" because the rainbow candy contains a "known toxin" - an artificial coloring additive called titanium dioxide.

Titanium dioxide is used in a wide range of foods and consumer goods, from candy to sunscreens and home paints. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that the regulated use of titanium dioxide, especially as a colorant in foods, is safe under certain restrictions.

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However, some experts and food regulators in other countries disagree, pointing to potential serious health effects and growing concerns about the additive. For example, from August 7, the EU will ban the use of titanium dioxide in food products.

What is titanium dioxide? Why is it used in foods?

According to the American Chemistry Council, titanium dioxide, or TiO2, sometimes referred to as E171, is an inorganic solid used in a wide range of consumer products, including cosmetics, paints, plastics, and foods.

In foods, titanium dioxide is often used as an artificial color additive. Tasha Stoiber, senior fellow at the nonprofit environmental task force Consumer Health, says titanium dioxide can usually be thought of as a "paint primer" — it's often applied to hard-shell candies like Skittles before coloring is added. to give them "color and uniform sheen".

Titanium dioxide “can also be found in dairy products to make them whiter and brighter… like glazes or curds,” Stoiber said in an interview, adding that the additive is used in other products such as instant food or drink mixes. .

Titanium dioxide is used in a huge number of foods.

"It's a little odd that the ingredient in the paint that makes your kitchen sparkle also makes your Hostess cupcakes sparkle," added Scott Faber, Senior Vice President of the Environmental Working Group for Government Relations.

Is titanium dioxide dangerous?

While the FDA claims that the regulated use of titanium dioxide is safe, the European Food Safety Authority and some other experts warn of potential serious health risks.

In particular, a safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority published in May 2021 indicated genotoxicity issues, as evidenced by previous studies. Genotoxicity is the ability of chemicals to damage genetic information such as DNA, which can lead to cancer.

“After oral ingestion, the absorption of titanium dioxide particles is low, but they can accumulate in the body,” Maged Younes, chair of the European Food Safety Authority Expert Group on Food Additives and Flavors, said in May 2021.

Authorities have not defined a safe amount of titanium dioxide that can be consumed.

Matthew Wright, chairman of the titanium dioxide working group, noted that "data on overall toxic effects are inconclusive", but the group cannot completely rule out genotoxicity. There were also some current data limitations, and the assessment "failed to establish a safe level of daily dietary supplement intake," he stated.

What other candies and foods contain titanium dioxide?

It's difficult to determine the total amount of foods containing titanium dioxide because federal regulations don't require all manufacturers to list its use on ingredient labels, but the list of foods containing the substance certainly doesn't end with Skittles.

Regarding products labeled with the additive, Thea Burianna, Senior Data Consultant Manager for Label Insights, told Food Navigator USA in May 2021 that more than 11 products in the company's U.S. Food and Beverage Database contain titanium dioxide in as an ingredient. . Non-chocolate sweets are in the lead in these indicators - 000%. Cupcakes and snack cakes account for 32%, followed by biscuits at 14%, glazed pretzels and baking mixes at 8%, pastry decorations at 7%, chewing gum and mints at 6%, and ice cream at 4%.

Apart from Skittles, other candies containing titanium dioxide include Nice! mints, Trolli sour gummies, and Ring Pops cereal, according to the Environmental Task Force.

Other foods that contain titanium dioxide include alfalfa cottage cheese, plant-based Beyond Meat chicken cutlets, Great Value ice cream, and Chips Ahoy cookies.

What is the FDA limit for titanium dioxide?

The FDA Code of Federal Regulations allows legal, regulated use of titanium dioxide in foods, with some restrictions.

"The FDA continues to allow the safe use of titanium dioxide as a coloring agent in food, generally subject to specifications and conditions, including as long as the amount of titanium dioxide does not exceed 1% by weight of the product," the statement said. FDA.

The FDA first approved the use of titanium dioxide in foods in 1966, following its removal in 1960 (along with the removal of other coloring additives) from the agency's original "Generally Recognized as Safe" list. In 1977, titanium dioxide joined the list of coloring additives that are not subject to certification, which means that "titanium dioxide" does not have to be listed on the packaging of every product in which it is used, as noted by Faber.

"There are a lot of uses for titanium dioxide that we don't know about because they were removed from the ingredients list in 1977," Faber said, adding that "nothing much has changed" since then - other than FDA approval of some other additives. (for example, the increasing use of mica-based pearlescent pigments (derived from titanium dioxide) as color additives in distilled spirits in recent years).

Faber argued that not enough changes have been made to these federal regulations in the decades since the FDA approved titanium dioxide, especially as research increasingly points to potential health effects.

“Titanium dioxide really symbolizes the FDA's failure to reconsider these old decisions that were made 56 years ago,” he said.

The FDA said that in all post-approvals of dietary supplements, "our scientists continue to review relevant new information to determine if there are safety issues."

When asked about the recent Skittles lawsuit, the FDA said the agency is not commenting on the upcoming lawsuit.

Is titanium dioxide illegal in other countries?

While the regulated use of titanium dioxide in foods is legal in the US and Canada, it is banned in some other countries, especially Europe. In May 2021, the European Food Safety Authority announced that titanium dioxide "can no longer be considered safe as a food additive".

How do I know if a product contains titanium dioxide? How to avoid this ingredient?

Some companies list the titanium dioxide content on the label. But again, this is not required.

If you want to avoid titanium dioxide, Stoiber and Faber urge consumers to try to avoid processed foods as much as possible.

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"By reducing the amount of processed foods in your diet, you can reduce the likelihood of not only consuming titanium dioxide, but also other chemicals of concern," Faber said, noting that consumers can also call their elected representatives urging them to support stricter policies. food safety legislation and take action. “America is once again falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to chemical safety,” he said.

"It's not just titanium dioxide that we're concerned about, but a range of other food additives that are also associated with known harmful health risks," Stoiber added.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Northern California, alleges that Skittles candy with the slogan "try the rainbow" because of their many colors contain a toxin - titanium dioxide, so they are "dangerous for human consumption."

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