Titanium dioxide has been a problematic food additive for years. The European Union banned the additive several years ago, while the FDA views titanium dioxide as safe. Recently, the company (Mars) that makes the candy Skittles announced that it was removing the additive from the ingredients.
Well, it took a lawsuit filed in 2022 alleging that Skittles are "unfit for human consumption" (because of the ingredient titanium dioxide) to finally have the manufacturer remove it from the product. Removing titanium dioxide won't change the taste - it's only used as a "brightener" (makes colors brighter).
In the past decade, a number of studies found that the nanoparticle ((between 1 and 100 nanometers) form of titanium dioxide to have harmful health effects, especially to the gut (intestines) [see post]. This is the form typically used in over 11,000 products in the US, all ultra-processed (many candies, baked goods, gum, frosting, snack foods, etc.)
Bottom line: Read food ingredient lists, and avoid titanium dioxide (if possible).
From Medical Xpress: Skittles removes controversial additive targeted by RFK Jr.
Mars Inc.'s Skittles candies are no longer being made with titanium dioxide, a chemical that whitens foods, brightens colors and makes candy appear shiny, the company confirmed to Bloomberg News.
The ingredient was removed from all Skittles production at the end of last year, a spokesperson said.
The additive was banned in the European Union in 2022 over concerns that nanoparticles of the substance might accumulate in the body and damage DNA. It has also come under scrutiny by the Department of Health and Human Services in recent months under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
In 2023, groups including the Environmental Working Group and the Center for Food Safety filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration to remove the approval of titanium dioxide as a color additive in food. That petition was still under review as of March 2024, according to the FDA website.
Titanium dioxide hasn't been banned in the U.S., though Mars pledged to stop using the additive in 2016. It was still listed as an ingredient in Sour Skittles earlier this year. In a statement to Bloomberg News in January, the company said its use of the ingredient was "in compliance with government regulations."
The company is now in the process of updating its website to reflect the reformulation, though shoppers may see products containing titanium dioxide on shelves until those products sell through.
The chewy candies still use synthetic dyes including Red 40, Yellow 5 and Blue 1, according to their labels. HHS and FDA said in April that they'll work with food producers to eliminate the dyes by the end of 2026. Industry groups have said no agreement exists on the matter
Other foods—including Mondelez International Inc.'s Sour Patch Kids Watermelon, Kraft Heinz Co.'s Lunchables Cookie Dunks and JM Smucker Co.'s Donettes—currently use titanium dioxide. It's also a common ingredient in sunscreens and white paints.