What is Titanium dioxide (E171)?

What does it do?

Adds colour to food or restores colour lost during processing.

Is it harmful? Risk context

It draws comparatively more concern in the scientific literature. Even so, "any product containing this additive is harmful" is not accurate — what matters is dose and exposure. Regulators (EFSA) set a safe daily limit (ADI); in an ordinary, varied diet most people will not approach it. NeBu treats this additive as a negative signal in the score, but never condemns a product on its presence alone.

Banned in food in Turkey (since Apr 2024) and EU; EFSA 2021 could not exclude genotoxicity

Containing an additive is not the same as being harmed by the product. A hazard is a substance’s theoretical potential to cause harm; risk depends on the actual amount you are exposed to. Rather than stamping additives with fear-based labels, NeBu explains them with sourced information — and leaves the decision to you.

Regulatory status

• Banned in food under the Turkish Food Codex (updated 13 October 2023).

Sources

• EFSA — Food additives
• Türk Gıda Kodeksi — Gıda Katkı Maddeleri Yönetmeliği (RG 13.10.2023)
• T.C. Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı — yönetmelik güncellemesi duyurusu