this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2024
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Banned in Europe, this controversial ingredient is allowed in foods here (www.cbc.ca)
submitted 9 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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A CBC Marketplace investigation found some food manufacturers are producing snack foods for the Canadian market that contain an ingredient banned in Europe.

That additive, titanium dioxide, was banned in the European Union after a May 2021 European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) review couldn't rule out that it may cause DNA or chromosomal damage in humans.

"What we concluded was that we could not really exclude the possibility that titanium dioxide can damage the DNA material, the genetic material in the cells," Camilla Smeraldi, team leader for EFSA's food additive and flavourings team, told Marketplace in an interview from her office in Parma, Italy. "It's not something that we should intentionally add to foods."

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Hmm. "Couldn't rule out" ≠ "does". I can understand wanting to hold a claim of damage to a slightly higher standard of proof. I can also understand wanting to err on the side of caution.

On trhe one hand, this looks like a nothingburger to me—likely this stuff is no more dangerous than, say, table salt (which no one expects to completely remove from processed foods even though it has known medical risks associated with it).

On the other hand, titanium dioxide is just a colourant, so taking it out doesn't alter the food in any way that matters.

🤷

[–] [email protected] 11 points 9 months ago

I think your last point is the major point; why add it if the science is not giving a definitive answer. IDGAF if my toothpaste isn't as white as before.