“However, titanium dioxide and red dye No.
“Our concern is about aggregated risks and exposure over time,” Zhou says.
“It’s important to read labels and try your best to make informed decisions.”
Otto Greule Jr / Stringer / Getty Images
Red Dye No.
Potential health effects:Red dye No.
3 from cosmetics in 1990, but it’s still allowed in food.
Epoxydude / Getty Images
Where it’s found:Red-colored candies are the classic example of products that include red dye No.
(It may be listed as simply bromate, not potassium bromate.)
The European Union has banned its use.
Titanium Dioxide
wilatlak villette/Getty Images
Titanium dioxide makes foods or beauty products look whiter and more vibrant.
Where it’s found:Brominated vegetable oil is usually found in fruit-based sodas and drinks.
Brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, and red No.
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3 are required to be listed by name, Zhou says.
In butter, cheese, and ice cream, titanium dioxide does not have to be declared at all.
The answer lies in how European governments and the U.S. government handle reviewing food additives.
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The EWG points to synthetic colors like red No.
40, yellow No.
5 and yellow No.
6, which like red No.
3 are linked to neurobehavioral issues in kids.
California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.Report Links Synthetic Food Dyes to Hyperactivity and other Neurobehavioral Effects in Children.
Accessed May 9, 2023.
FDA.Color Additive Status List.
Accessed May 9, 2023.
1998;26(5):587-594. doi:10.1177/019262339802600501
International Agency for Research on Cancer.Potassium Bromate.
Accessed May 10, 2023.
In: Vandenberg LN, Turgeon JL.Advances in Pharmacology.
2013;13(1):1-20.
USDA.European Union: Titanium Dioxide Banned as a Food Additive in the EU.
Accessed May 10, 2023.
Jovanovic B.Critical review of public health regulations of titanium dioxide, a human food additive.Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management.
2021;19(5):e06585.
doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6585
FDA.Brominated Vegetable Oil.
Accessed May 10, 2023.
1983;28(3):309-318. doi:10.1002/tera.1420280302
BMJ.New evidence links ultra-processed foods with a range of health risks.
Accessed May 10, 2023.
