The ban on TiO2 in food (E171)

Ban on TiO₂ in food (E171) – chronology and current situation

By AVICENN Team – Last Added January 2023

This page compiles information about theprohibition of the additive E171 (titanium dioxide, partially nanoparticle, used in particular in food as a white dye or varnish). This ban, in force in France since 2020, in Europe since August 2022 (and in Switzerland from September 2022) is the result of collective work and contributions from NGOs (supported by AVICENN), scientists, media, parliamentarians and public authorities.

To note :

• Most French manufacturers and distributors did not wait for the law to withdraw TiO nanoparticles₂ and/or the E171 of their products.
• To learn more about risks associated with ingesting titanium dioxide nanoparticles, click here.
• Many voices are raised to ask for theban on titanium dioxide in medicines and toothpastes.

In 2022,

• December 23, 2022: The suspension of the marketing of foodstuffs containing E171 has been renewed for 2023 in France by the decree of December 23, 2023. It makes it possible to prevent the disposal on French territory of stocks placed on the European market, whereas the European ban implemented in August 2022 does not provide for any specific withdrawal measure for these foodstuffs.
• 14 December 2022: ANSES published its opinion on the risk assessment of the nanometric fraction of the food additive E171 which points to the lack of toxicological data available to carry out a complete assessment of the additive E171 and recommends limiting the uses and exposure of workers and consumers to nanomaterials, “by promoting the use of safe products, devoid of manufactured nanomaterials, and by limiting these uses to those ultimately considered to be duly justified and subject to a documented demonstration of the acceptability of the risk”.
• September 21, 2022: A review of the scientific literature published in the journal Nanomaterials, carried out on nearly 800 scientific articles by a research team in Portugal, concluded on the merits of banning titanium dioxide nanoparticles in food.
• August 8, 2022: From today, foodstuffs containing E171 can no longer be placed on the European market. Under the European regulation 2022/63 of January 14, 2022 prohibiting the food additive titanium dioxide (E171), those that had been previously can remain so until their date of minimum durability or their expiry date.
• July 2022: In the United States, the media (The Guardian, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, etc.) relay the complaint (seeking to be considered a class action) trademark by a consumer in federal court for the Northern District of California against the company Mars, which continues to market Skittles candy containing E171, even though the company undertook to withdraw it of its products in 2016 (and that it has removed from M&M's in France). Titanium dioxide as a food additive is currently still authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• June 23, 2022: A Guardian article titled “Food additive or carcinogen? The growing list of chemicals banned by EU but used in US » points out the lesser protection of Americans compared to E171, soon banned in the European Union but still considered safe in the United States.
• June 21, 2022: Following theEFSA opinion on the E171, the European Commission has required the Scientific Committee for Consumer Safety (SCCS) to reassess the safety of TiO₂ in cosmetics, in view of its genotoxicity when exposed by inhalation and by the oral route. Among the types of cosmetics mentioned: lip balms, lipsticks, toothpastes, powders and sprays. The CSSC has nine months to issue its opinion, which should therefore be finalized in March 2023.

• March 9, 2022: In Switzerland, the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (FSVO) announcement the ban on the use of titanium dioxide as a food additive from March 15, 2022, accompanied by a transitional period of six months (foodstuffs may still be produced and marketed according to the old law until September 15 2022; after this date, they can be given to consumers until the expiry of the expiry date).

• January 18, 2022: The European regulation 2022/63 of January 14, 2022 prohibiting the food additive titanium dioxide (E171) was published in the official journal of the EU. It will enter into force on February 8, 2022 and provides that from August 8, 2022, foodstuffs containing E171 can no longer be placed on the market. Those that had been previously can remain so until their date of minimum durability or their expiry date. From 2025, this dye could also be banned in medicines. (As a reminder, France had already suspended E171 in food since January 1, 2020. No change in France therefore, but our European neighbors will now also be able to benefit from this protective measure).

In 2021,

• December 31, 2021: Theorder of 21 December 2021 suspending the marketing of foodstuffs containing the additive E 171 (titanium dioxide – TiO2) was published in the Official Journal n°304. Pending the Commission regulation aimed at prohibiting the use of this additive at Community level (during 2022) and in order to guarantee the absence of any new placing on the French market of foodstuffs containing E171, this decree renews the suspension already in force since 2020 in France of this additive “banned from French food products but still present in medicines”, as highlighted by the Midi libre.

• November 30, 2021: The Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 2021/2090 of 25 November 2021 concerning the "refusal of authorization of titanium dioxide as a feed additive for all animal species" was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). It stipulates that the authorization of titanium dioxide (E 171) as an additive in animal feed from the category of “sensory additives” and from the functional group of “colorants” is refused. Existing stocks and premixtures containing it must be withdrawn from the market by 20 March 2022 at the latest. Feed materials, as well as compound feed produced with the additive or premixtures must be withdrawn from the market no later than June 20, 2022.

• October 8, 2021: Member states have approved a ban on titanium dioxide in food across the European Union. The text should come into force at the beginning of 2022. A 6-month phase-out period will then begin, after which the total ban on E171 in food products will apply. This decision was voted by the Standing Committee on Foodstuffs (CPVADAAA), on a proposal from the European Commission, following the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluding that E171 can no longer be considered as safe as a food additive (see below). This news was applauded by the NGOs that worked for this ban (in particular, Acting for the Environment and Foodwatch, WECF at the French level, the BEUC, CEO and HEAL or even SAFE at the European level). More informations here.

• June 9, 2021: The “Rappel Conso” site today publishes a alert on Leader Price sugar-free sugar-coated chewing gums which contain the additive E171 banned for sale in France, due to the potential risks of colorectal cancer associated with the ingestion of titanium dioxide (partly in the form of #nanoparticles).

• 31 May 2021: Four MEPs (Maria Arena (S&D), Martin Hojsík (Renew), Mick Wallace (The Left), Anja Hazekamp (The Left)) have asked the European Commission to respond to four questions following:
  • When does it intend to publish its proposal and on what date will the examination of this proposal begin?
  • What is the timetable for the discussion and adoption of the proposal, "given the importance of introducing the ban as soon as possible in order to prioritize the health and safety of people in the European Union" ?
  • Does the Commission intend to restrict the additive E171 to non-food use, including medicines and cosmetics?

• May 18, 2021: During the meeting of a CPVADAA working group, EFSA presented its opinion on E171 to the Member States and the European Commission its proposal to ban E171 in Europe; the member states will meet again after the summer to vote on the timetable for the entry into force of the ban – with a right of scrutiny from the Council and the European Parliament then, necessary before the final adoption of the ban.

• May 11, 2021: After France, after the European Union, it is Switzerland's turn to announce the ban on E171 according to Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS).

• May 10, 2021: A few days after the announcement of the upcoming ban on E171 in Europe, three substitutes for E171 are mentioned in a Article by FoodIngredients1st : with what guarantees concerning their harmlessness? :
  • « Avalanche » by Sensient
  • « White diamond » by Doehler
  • rice starches by Beneo¹Mars replaces Tio2 in its M&Ms recipes with rice starch.

• May 6, 2021: The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, has announced that the European Commission was going to propose a European ban on E171 ; this announcement was made just hours after the publication of thereview from the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) concluding that this additive can no longer be considered "safe", due to potential genotoxic effects (DNA damage). This is a very clear change in the position of the EFSA, which until now had made every effort to say that E171 was "safe" - and this, despite the numerous scientific publications which accumulate for several years and show adverse effects. This reversal confirms the relevance of the alerts launched - for more than ten years now - by scientists and associations and taken seriously by the French authorities, who have suspended E171 since 2020! See below.

• April 15, 2021: The new government product recall information site ReminderConso " emitted three alerts concerning confectionery and chocolate containing E171, this food additive prohibited for sale in France due to the potential risks of colorectal cancer associated with the ingestion of titanium dioxide (partly in the form of nanoparticles):
  • Harry Potter Jelly Slugs candies (Jelly Belly)
  • Bubblegum flavored chewing gum (Bubblicious)
  • Lychee Rose white chocolate bars (Klaus).

• January 26, 2021: The Arte documentary The Great Junk Food looks back on the suspension of E171, with some of the associative, scientific, institutional and industrial players who played a decisive role in this file:

In 2020,

• December 23, 2020: Publication in the Official Journal of of December 21, 2020 “suspending the marketing of foodstuffs containing the additive E 171 (titanium dioxide – TiO2)”:

• October 22, 2020: The Agir pour l'Environnement association is launching a “Stop titanium” petition calling for the extension of the ban on titanium dioxide in food (and its extension to drugs and toothpaste). In particular, the presence of nanoparticles.

• October 8, 2020: The European Parliament, meeting in plenary, voted, by an overwhelming majority, overwhelming majority, the objection lodged by several MEPs against the European Commission's proposal to authorize E171 additives which contain up to 50% titanium dioxide nanoparticles.

• October 7, 2020: Exposure of pregnant women to titanium dioxide leads to an accumulation of TiO2 nanoparticles in the placenta and contamination of the fetus. This survey was conducted by scientists from INRAE, LNE, the Materials Physics Group of Rouen, the Toulouse University Hospital, the University of Picardie Jules Verne and the National Veterinary School of Toulouse. It confirms strong presumptions, following publications in animals. As reminded by INRAE ​​press release, the use of titanium dioxide in foodstuffs has been suspended in France, but it is still used in toothpastes, UV screens, cosmetic creams and powders, and pharmaceuticals. Where from growing demands for its ban in cosmetics and medicines.

• 7 September 2020: The European Parliament's Environment Committee (ENVI Committee) has rejected, 51 votes to 11, the European Commission's proposal to ban E171 additives that contain more than 50% of titanium dioxide nanoparticles – which was tantamount to hollow, to authorize those that contain less than 50% of these nanoparticles. MEPs call on the Commission to apply the precautionary principle and remove E171 from the list of authorized food additives.

• May 26, 2020: The European Commission has proposed to ban E171 additives that contain more than 50% nanoparticles. France is theoretically not affected by this measure since E171 is no longer authorized on French soil since January 1, 2020 – at least in food (drugs would be concerned). But the other Member States have just approved this Community framework which they have been waiting for for a long time. Their vote still needs to be confirmed by the European Parliament and Council this summer. Such a measure raises several questions, in particular on the 50% threshold retained – unrelated to any health consideration. Learn more here.

• May 15, 2020: A review of the scientific literature carried out by CEA researchers shows that particles of titanium dioxide (TiO2), of nanometric size and microscopic, lead to DNA damage on various cell types, including intestinal cells, even at low and realistic doses. Learn more here.

• March 24, 2020: research conducted in Belgium and published in 2020 have shown that 12 E171 food additives, out of 15 tested, met the recommendation for a European definition of the term “nanomaterial” of 2011 insofar as the minimum median external dimension was less than 100 nm.

• January 13, 2020: According to a report of the CPVADAAA meeting^* of 19 December 2019 by the Dutch government, the European Commission would have affirmed "to respect the French measure" but without having the intention of extending it to the rest of the European Union. As previously mentioned, the Commission is awaiting the next EFSA opinion scheduled for the end of 2020 and will continue its work on the specifications concerning the particle size distribution of E171 and the limitation of heavy metals.

• January 1, 2020: The suspension of the food additive E171, composed of (nano)particles of titanium dioxide comes into force in France. In one press release published a few days earlier, the Agir pour l'Environnement association welcomed this "historic and courageous decision" and stressed that manufacturers and distributors had already largely anticipated this suspension: today there are hardly any products containing E171 in France. A "new proof of the uselessness of this additive" according to the association, which recalls at the same time its wish that this suspension of titanium dioxide be "extended to all products likely to be ingested" (toothpastes and medicines) , in view of the dangerousness of the additive confirmed by scientific studies compiled by AVICENN.

In 2019,

• December 17, 2019: 34 Members of the European Parliament (Belgian, Croatian, Greek, Irish, Italian, Luxembourgish and French) have écrit to European Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides for him ask to ban E171 in products sold in Europe due to health risks.

• December 5, 2019: Eight French and European associations sent a joint letter to the new European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kiriakides, to ask him to support France's ban on E171 and extend it to the rest of Europe.

• December 3, 2019: Acting for the Environment published a list of brands and brands that have removed E171 from their products

• December 2, 2019: Following theemission of RTS on nanoparticles in food, the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) wanted to provide "precision" published on the show's website according to which "EFSA has confirmed the absence of risk attached to the additive" [Editor's note: a particularly biased interpretation of the EFSA opinion of which CEFIC does not relay the mentions relating to the uncertainties nevertheless underlined by the European Food Safety Agency], that “other studies conducted in accordance with OECD guidelines have not demonstrated adverse effects” and that "the Food and Environment Research Agency in the United Kingdom, the Tübitak Marmara Research Center in Turkey and the Institute for Food Safety (RIKILT) in the Netherlands have conducted a study on the oral consumption of nanometric particles and in particular titanium dioxide. This study did not reveal any significant risk from exposure to nanoparticles.. This study dates from 2015. And CEFIC does not mention the numerous studies published since, which themselves report worrying effects.
  
• November 19, 2019: Nanoparticles in food are on the menu of "A Bon Ententeur", the Swiss reference program in terms of consumption, entitled this evening: “E171, E551… would you take some additives? » Among the organizations questioned in France: LNE, INRA Toulouse, Agir pour l'Environnement and AVICENN:

• November 22, 2019: In reply to the request from MEP Eric Andrieu to extend the ban on E171 to all of Europe, Mr. Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety of the Juncker Commission, states that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers that "the use of titanium dioxide as a food additive is safe based on current scientific knowledge" and that "ongoing toxicity testing, which is expected to be completed by July 2020, will further reduce the remaining uncertainties". The Commission is considering the next steps. Learn more here.

• November 4, 2019: La petition launched by the NGO SAFE (Safe Food Advocacy Europe) in partnership with Agir pour l'Environnement and ECOS to call for a ban on E171 at European Union level has exceeded 80 signatures. 

• October 17, 2019: The E171 was on the agenda of the dossier on nanoparticles from the program "La Quotidienne" on France 5, with Danielle Lanquetuit from VICENN and Francelyne Marano from Paris-Diderot University. The show is available replay here.

• September 30 – October 4, 2019: MEP Eric Andrieu sent a written question to the European Commission in order to  savoir if the Member States will decide on the French suspension of the E171 and whether the Commission plans to extend the latter at European level to protect all consumers. Two days later, the deputy wrote a tweet to report this question and recommendation supported by the European Consumers' Organization (BEUC) and other associations. Malik Duhaut, Fleishman-Hillard lobbysite, told him answered that EFSA found that"there was nothing to question the safety of the E171". A response “liked” by Dervla Gleeson, lobbyist for the British American Tobacco Company (a connection with the fact that TiO2 is used by the tobacco industry, to whiten cigarette paper at least, maybe also in filters?)

• September 30, 2019: The Foodwatch Association Netherlands announcement, in press release in dutch, what several brands he promised to remove E171 from their food products: Remia, Mora, Mars, Goodbite, Lindt, Haribo and A.Vogel following the recommendations issued on August 21 by the Office for Research and Risk Assessment (BuRO) of the Dutch Ministry of Food aimed at reducing consumer exposure to E171.

• September 26, 2019: The French suspension of the E171 was still in theagenda for a CPVADAAA meeting^*. Member States again expressed their preference for a harmonized approach at European level, based on the next EFSA opinion expected in July 2020. (See the minutes of the session)

• September 26, 2019: The press release in which Michigan State University presents its study minimizing the effects of the additive E171 title on the “premature” nature of the French suspension of the E171. He claims that INRA researchers (whose 2017 publication had received a great deal of attention from the media and the public authorities) did not use a control group (called “DMH alone”) in their carcinogenesis experiments, which is false, this group being part of the results. Two weeks earlier, the American study in question had been singled out by a coalition of associations, questioning its scientific rigor and its independence.

• September 16, 2019: The French E171 ban was on the agenda of an expert meeting in Brussels. Like last May, the vast majority of Member States are in favor of a harmonized measure at European level, based on the next EFSA opinion expected in July 2020. Several associations had previously asked their governments to support the French measure and encouraged the European Commission to remove E171 from the list of authorized additives, such as Purchasing test in Belgium. A petition in english was launched by the NGO Safe Food Advocacy Europe (SAFE). Conversely, the manufacturers or companies using E171 lobby the authorities to oppose any restriction of this additive, as evidenced for example by the joint letter from German trade associations for food, chemicals, dyes and drugs to the German Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection sent shortly before the meeting.

• September 12, 2019: Several NGOs react following the publication of a American study minimizing the risks of the controversial additive E171, fifteen days before a meeting in Brussels which examines the French ban on E171. Building on first disturbing elements recorded by AVICENN (unexplained “obscured” colon samples, almost doubling of colorectal cancer markers deemed “not significant” by the authors), Acting for the Environment, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), Foodwatch, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Safe Food Advocacy Europe, European Environmental Citizens' Organization for Standardization (ECOS) question* the scientific rigor of the'study funded by three industrial federations reluctant to see the removal of E171 (the federation of TiO2 manufacturers (TDMA), the federation of dye manufacturers (IACM) and the trade federation (GMA)) . * To see the inter-associative press release (English)

• August 30, 2019: Foodwatch Association Reveals Presence of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Dr. Oetker Products in Germany : after France, E171 must be banned everywhere in Europe, claims the NGO.

• August 21, 2019: The Office of Research and Risk Assessment (BuRO) has published a review in which he recommends that the Dutch Ministry of Food discuss with manufacturers in order to reduce exposure to E171, to examine the presence of titanium dioxide in other products (in particular medicines), to improve research on the link between E171 and colorectal cancer.

• July 2019: The ad for Mentos Pure Fresh chewing gum ends with the words “Without titanium dioxide! »

• July 12, 2019: The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published its scientific opinion on the physico-chemical characteristics of the additive E171: Scientific opinion on the proposed amendment of the EU specifications for titanium dioxide (E 171) with respect to the inclusion of additional parameters related to its particle size distribution.

• July 11, 2019: Several of the signatory NGOs of the interassociative letter sent at the beginning of May to the European Commission were received by the latter in order to discuss the possibilities of extending the French suspension of the E171 to the entire European Union.

• July 5, 2019: The spanish magazine OCU-Compra Maestra revealed that the E171 and E551 contained in all of the 8 food products tested by the Spanish consumer association “Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios” (OCU) contain nanoparticles, in varying proportions (ranging from 27 to 76% for the 4 products containing E171, 100% for the 4 products containing E551), without mention [nano] on the packaging, contrary to the regulations. The consumer association OCU demands the re-evaluation of these additives.

• June 2019: Livsmedelsföretagen, the professional food federation in Sweden, indicates that companies in the sector have informed interested institutions that “the Commission and the other Member States should firmly reject the French measure” to avoid the confusion that the French suspension would cause in terms of the internal market.

• June 2019: The belgian magazine Health test n°151 devotes five pages to nanomaterials; he reveals that the E171 contained in the 6 food products tested contain nanoparticles, in varying proportions (ranging from 7 to 80%), without mention [nano] on the packaging contrary to regulations. And requests the suspension of the marketing of E171 in Belgium (among other additives).

• May 29, 2019: The French suspension of the E171 is approved up to the USA by of  researchers interviewed by The Guardian they are also worried about the health effects induced by nanoparticles in food.

• May 23, 2019: In Italy, the consumer association Altroconsumo publishes the results of tests carried out on food products, which show high levels of nanoparticles in the food additives E171, E174 (silver) and E551 (silica) but not indicated on the label. The association not only asks for the suspension of the E171 but also theapplication of the precautionary principle for other nanoparticle additives.

• May 20, 2019: Sanofi announcement think about substitute titanium dioxide for his medications

• May 13, 2019 (completed on May 21 and then on May 29): The French authorities presented the suspension of the E171 to the European Commission and other EU Member States during a CPVADAAA meeting^* in Brussels. Member States have expressed a preference for a harmonized approach at European level (cf. the report from the Dutch authorities and  European Commission report uploaded May 28). Three days earlier, the EFSA had confirmed that the data provided by the manufacturers so far do not allow the additive to be correctly assessed, while considering that the ANSES report had not highlighted new major discoveries which would cancel the conclusions of its two previous scientific opinions on the safety of E171 from 2016 and 2018. A new EFSA opinion, on the basis of data possibly supplemented by then by the manufacturers of TiO2, is announced for July 2019. A vote should take place later on the extension, repeal or modification of the French measure. To be continued then…

• May 9, 2019: In turn, the Léo Lagrange Association – Consumer Defense (AALDC) publicly regrets "the policy of small steps" of the government concerning the suspension of the E171, in particular the limitation of its scope to only food products sold in France, the late date of the entry into force of the text, as well as the tolerance towards manufacturers with regard to the disposal of stocks.

• May 7, 2019: The consumer association CLCV considers that "the government could have been more ambitious" regarding the suspension of the E171 : according to her, the decree contains "obvious shortcomings", in particular concerning the stocks of products, the disposal of which will still be possible after 2020

• May 3, 2019: In a mail sent today, some forty European associations have asked the European Commission to extend the suspension of E171 to the entire European Union (and at the very least, not to cancel the measure in France).

• April 25, 2019: Publication in the OJ ofOrder of 17 April 2019 suspending the marketing of foodstuffs containing the additive E 171 (titanium dioxide – TiO2)

• April 19, 2019: The Federation of Titanium Dioxide Manufacturers (TDMA) regrets France's decision to suspend the E171. The questionable scientific argumentation is coupled with economic considerations, no doubt more in line with the interests of the federation: the fear of a “fragmentation and disruption of the European single market”.

• April 17, 2019: It's now official: the additive E171, which contains titanium dioxide nanoparticles, will be banned in foodstuffs from January 1, 2020.

• April 15, 2019: The national health security agency (ANSES) has delivered its report on the risks associated with E171 to the Minister of Economy and Finance. It concludes that it does not have any new elements enabling it to resolve the uncertainties about the safety of the additive E171. She reiterates her general recommendations on nanomaterials aimed in particular at limiting the exposure of workers, consumers and the environment, by promoting safe alternatives. Bruno Le Maire had undertaken to associate the signatory associations of the forum of the World of December 2018 to the drafting of the decree which will record the suspension of the E171. The latter reiterated their expectation that the suspension would come into force as soon as possible (see their press releases relayed on our twitter feed).

• April 1, 2019: The MEP Guillaume Balas (from the Génération.s movement) has published on his website the European Commission's response to the written question on the E171 which he asked in January: the European Commission "Considers that there are currently no grounds for applying precautionary measures with regard to the authorization of titanium dioxide as a food additive". An answer that the deputy judges “not up to the health challenge. In application of the precautionary principle, the Commission has the possibility of withdrawing from the market a product which may pose a potential danger to the health of European citizens. It is therefore a choice on the part of the Commission to limit its action and to prefer the economic interests of companies to the health of citizens.« . Guillaume Balas says he will continue his battle "to update this hypocrisy and protect the health of Europeans”.

• March 28, 2019: The Association Acting for the Environment was received by the office of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Bruno Le Maire, to whom she requested the expansion of the titanium dioxide suspension (expected in the feed in mid-April) to all products that can be totally or partially ingested: toothpastes and medicines in particular. Ministry officials reportedly ruled out extending the scope of the order to products other than food, but confirmed that the suspension of titanium dioxide in food will be taken in mid-April, following the publication of ANSES's opinion. More details here.

• March 25, 2019: In its chronicle “War of lobbies around a titanium dioxide additive” of the Health Magazine on France 5, the journalist Rudy Bancquart returned to the suspension of the E171, partly nano, by retracing industrial lobbying and citizen counter-lobbying.

• March 21, 2019: AVICENN became aware of a report of the meeting of the group of governmental experts 'Additives' of the European Commission which took place on February 1st, in which we can understand that France is giving itself until April 19 to make its decision, i.e. 4 days after the expected date of restitution of ANSES's opinion on E171.

• February 6, 2019: According to the Official Journal, the Government's report to Parliament on the measures taken concerning the import and marketing, free of charge or against payment, of any foodstuff containing titanium dioxide as a food additive (E 171) and consumer uses was forwarded to the Economic Affairs Committee and the Senate's Regional Planning and Sustainable Development Committee.

• January 21, 2019: ANIA, which represents the food industry in France, calls “Regulatory Frexit” the unilateral suspension of E171 envisaged by the French government, which "discredits the European authorities, suggesting that Europe is lax and inefficient on health issues". ANIA nevertheless recognizes that the time has come to simplify recipes, with shorter lists of ingredients and the elimination of non-essential food additives – concerning E171, the procedures for elimination or substitution are already - already committed (the substitution is however complex, expensive, it cannot be done overnight (and the alternatives must also be evaluated).

• January 18, 2019: MEP Guillaume Balas (from the Génération.s movement) asks the European Commission toapply the precautionary principle by suspending E171 at European level (the suspension announced by Bruno Le Maire only concerns France).

• January 11, 2019: Nth twist in the soap opera concerning the suspension of the E171: Bruno Le Maire finally engaged to sign the decree suspension of the E171 by April 15! The 22 signatories of the column published in Le Monde in December were invited to a meeting in Bercy at 14:30 p.m. in the presence of Bruno Le Maire. The minister acknowledged mistakes in the management and communication of this file and recognized the need to implement the precautionary principle to protect public health. The associations present - including Agir pour l'Environnement, CLCV, foodwatch, France Nature Environnement, Générations Futures, Citizen Sciences, Léo Lagrange, UFC Que Choisir, 60 million consumers - welcome this clarification from the Minister, even if they regret that this suspension takes another three months. To relive and follow on Twitter.

• January 10, 2019: MP Delphine Batho indicated this afternoon on his twitter account having asked that Minister Bruno Le Maire, who refuses to apply the law, be summoned before the competent committees of the National Assembly. In addition, the arbitration concerning the suspension of the E171 would "not yet be completed" according to Agir pour l'Environnement, who met the cabinet of François de Rugy at the end of the afternoon. These words reported by The Journal of the Environment nuance the picture: the interministerial arbitration is apparently not yet folded.

• January 9, 2019: Following Bruno Le Maire's announcement not to suspend the E171, reactions are pouring in. AVICENN relays them on the Veillenanos twitter account and will compile them soon on this site. To be continued then…

• January 8, 2019: The Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire confirmed this evening in the program "C à vous" on France 5 that he did not intend to sign the suspension order for titanium dioxide (nano)particles in food (additive E171) before long months (or even more: he wants to wait for ANSES's opinion, and then request a new referral from EFSA, etc.). This response confirms the information we gathered during the ANSES dialogue committee on November 26, those relayed by APM news on December 26 (which invoked as a reason that the ministry could not go against the European Commission) followed by a article from Europe 1 of January 2, where one could read that the ministry went so far as to say that "Now it's up to the consumer to be careful".

In 2018,

• December 24, 2018: In a column published in today's Le Monde, 22 organizations are calling on Minister Bruno Le Maire to make the suspension of the food additive E171 effective as soon as possible., composed of titanium dioxide (part of which in the form of nanoparticles). Despite a strong commitment from the government and parliamentarians, Bercy is carrying out a blockage deemed unacceptable by the co-signatories, who are demanding the application without further delay of this important public health measure. . At the announcement of this information, the deputy Matthieu Orphelin immediately reacted on Twitter : “Article 53 of the #EGalim law is however clear: suspension of the E171 additive and report to parliament before January 1, 2019 on the proper implementation of this decision. Let's not go back ».

• November 26: Contrary to the official position of the French authorities, the DGCCRF indicated that it did not intend at this stage to draft the decree implementing the suspension of the E171, on the grounds that the evidence of "serious or immediate danger" had not yet been made. This assertion contradicts the government's commitment in the spring, confirmed by Parliament's vote in the autumn within the framework of the Food Law (this temporary ban is one of the rare measures applauded by the associations to have been retained in the version end of the law). This announcement by the DGCCRF was made during the ANSES "nano and health" dialogue committee, in which Avicenn and several other associations participated. More information provided, on request, to our members and associate members.

• November 8: "Now that the law has been published in the OJ, do you have more information to communicate on the timetable and the content of the decree concerning the suspension of the E171 provided for by its article 53" ? This is the question that AVICENN asked the DGCCRF again (answer pending).

• November 7, 2018: Fabrice Nesslany, from the Institut Pasteur, considers that "the usefulness (of E171) is so low, and with the doubts that may still remain today (...), it is useless, so while waiting for more consolidated studies, let's not use it » at a nano symposium at the Maison de la Chimie in Paris

• November 2, 2018: Defense of Héloïse Proquin's thesis on the role of E171 in the development of colorectal cancer at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands: “the classification of E171 as exempt from toxic effects due to its insolubility and its inertness is no longer valid (…); the presence of inflammation seen in animal models after ingestion of E171 could aggravate inflammatory bowel disease and its adverse effects on the development of colorectal cancer. Therefore, we recommend that experiments (…) emphasizing human testing, be performed for further evaluation of E171 on its potential adverse effects on cancer enhancement, immune system dysregulation and inflammation. These new data would provide information on the effects on humans for a complete risk assessment, which could lead to a modification of the use of E171 in food products: reduction of the amount of nanoparticles, fixation of a maximum level of use in food products, stricter limitation of the types of products in which it can be used, or even suspension of the product itself ”.

• November 1, 2018: The Food law was published in the official journal: according to its 53 article...

... " The placing on the market of the additive E 171 (titanium dioxide-TiO2) as well as foodstuffs containing it is suspended, under the conditions provided for inarticle L. 521-17 of the consumer code and in article 54 of the Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 establishing the general principles and general requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures relating to food safety. The Government shall submit, by 1 January 2019 at the latest, a report to Parliament on all the measures taken concerning the import and marketing, free of charge or against payment, of any foodstuff containing titanium dioxide as an additive. food (E 171) and consumer uses."

• October 18, 2018: AVICENN asks the Ministry of the Environment when the ministerial decree will be published activating the suspension of E171 via social networks (Facebook & Twitter)

• October 8, 2018: a few days after theannouncement by Casino of its commitment to remove titanium dioxide nanoparticles from all its products, the association Acting for the Environment calls on the government to publish as soon as possible the decree allowing the marketing and use of titanium dioxide to be suspended by the end of the year, as Brune Poirson committed to on May 18 (see below).

• October 5, 2018: AVICENN asks the DGCCRF when the ministerial decree acknowledging the suspension of the E171 will be published

• October 2, 2018: final vote by the National Assembly of the Food/Agriculture law (law for "the balance of commercial relations in the agricultural and food sector and healthy, sustainable and accessible food for all") with the article providing for the suspension of the placing on the market of the additive E171 as well as foodstuffs containing it (article 11 sexdecies of the text number 714 transmitted to the Senate on September 15, 2018, qualified as "compliant")

• 19 September 2018: Friends of the Earth Germany publishes analysis results Jacobs cappuccino powder and Wrigleys chewing gum, containing 100% silicon dioxide nanoparticles (E551) and 8% titanium dioxide nanoparticles (E171) respectively

• July 18, 2018: in the latest version of the Food Law resulting from the joint joint committee of July 18, 2018, article 11 sexdecies (unmodified) is worded as follows:

"The placing on the market of the additive E 171 (titanium dioxide TiO2) as well as foodstuffs containing it is suspended, under the conditions provided for in Article L. 521-17 of the Consumer Code and in the Article 54 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 establishing the general principles and general requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures relating to food safety.
The Government shall submit, by 1 January 2019 at the latest, a report to Parliament on all the measures taken concerning the import and marketing, free of charge or against payment, of any foodstuff containing titanium dioxide as an additive. food (E 171) and general public uses. »

• 4 July 2018: EFSA has valued that the four studies mentioned by France to request the suspension of E171 certainly pointed to worrying effects, but included uncertainties limiting their relevance for the risk assessment, and concluded, once again, with the adage "additional research are necessary to reduce the level of uncertainty”

• June 29, 2018: confirmation by the Senate of the National Assembly's vote in favor of suspending the marketing of the additive E171 as well as foodstuffs containing it: seeamendment 734 adopted as part of the “food law”

• June 26, 2018: the National Confectionery Syndicate publishes its charter of ethics, in which 100% of confectioners “committed to removing titanium dioxide from their products”. The charter formalizes a decision taken in 2017: 90% of confectioners have already eliminated E171 in mid-2018. " Science is advancing, security requirements too. We need to go beyond regulations and anticipate consumer expectations said Florence Pradier, secretary general of the "Confectioners of France".

• May 27, 2018: vote by the National Assembly ofgovernment amendment no. 2557 aimed at suspending “the placing on the market of the additive E171 (titanium dioxide – TiO2) as well as foodstuffs containing it” within the framework of the Food Law

• May 18, 2018: announcement by Secretary of State Brune Poirson of a withdrawal of the E171 from the market before the end of 2018

• May 16, 2018: sending of a statement by 8 NGOs to MEPs calling for the entry into force of the suspension of E171 to be brought forward as soon as possible, without waiting for 2020 (Acting for the environment, the Committee for sustainable development in health, France nature environment, Foodwatch, Generations guinea pigs, Future generations, Health Environment Network and Women in Europe for a common future)

• April 21, 2018: opposition to the suspension of the E171 by the Minister of Agriculture Stéphane Travert, more favorable to intervention at European level

• March-April 2018: MPs (LREM, France Insoumise) table amendments to the law on balance in the agricultural and food sector, aimed at suspending the food additive E171; other deputies (LR) table an amendment to the contrary

• February 15, 2018: France asks Europe the suspension of the marketing and use of titanium dioxide as a food additive (E171) of European origin and the suspension of imports from third countries of all foodstuffs containing this additive.

• January 2018: Based on testing that it had carried out on products sold in France, the UFC-Que Choisir deposits complaints against food manufacturers for non-compliance with the legal obligation to label [nano] on the packaging

In 2017,

• November 2017: the repression of fraud (DGCCRF) confirms the presence of unlabeled nanoparticles in food, already denounced by various associations

• October 2017: during the States General on Food, Agir pour l'Environnement, France nature environnement and Générations Futures demande, mini comics in support, the prohibition of E171 in all products likely to be ingested (food, but also pharmaceuticals et toothpaste)

• August 31, 2017: the government asks ANSES to speed up work on nanos in food and communicates on titanium dioxide nanoparticles in food

• August 2017: 60 Million consumers publishes new tests showing the presence of nanoparticles in food

• July 2017: 8 NGOs formally ask the government to withdraw the E171

• July 2017: Gerhard Rogler from the University of Zurich warns: “Patients with gut barrier dysfunction, such as in colitis, should abstain from foods containing titanium dioxide”

• April 2017: In its Opinion on a request for an opinion on dietary exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles, ANSES confirms that the INRA study published in January highlights effects that had not been previously identified, in particular potential effects promoting carcinogenesis, and stresses the need to conduct the studies necessary for perfect characterization of the potential health effects linked to the ingestion of the food additive E171.

• January 2017: The Government informs the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) on the conclusions of the INRA study published a few days earlier (cf. press release, January 20, 2017)

• January 2017: INRA researchers warn of precancerous lesions and immune problems caused by E171 in rats (Cf. Food-grade TiO2 impairs intestinal and systemic immune homeostasis, initiates preneoplastic lesions and promotes aberrant crypt development in the rat colon, Bettini S et al., Scientific Reports, 7:40373, published online January 20, 2017)

In 2016,

• September 2016: The authorization of the food additive E171 in force in Europe since 1969 is reinforced by a scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published this month according to which the [scarce] food data available do not highlight any health problems for consumers. The EFSA gives the green light to the continuation of the use of a very widespread additive, but without having carried out tests or having available robust studies making it possible to evaluate the real effects of our cumulative consumption (daily and all throughout life, via different products: food, toothpaste, medicines, etc.) while however, scientific publications report adverse health effects related to the ingestion of E171.

• June 2016: The association Agir pour l'Environnement publishes first tests attesting to the presence of unlabeled nanoparticles in food in France

• April 2016: The restriction of products containing nanomaterials is included in the 2016 environmental conference roadmap

• April 2016: Francelyne Marano, from Paris-Diderot University, writes in her book Should we be afraid of nanos? : “when their addition does not correspond to a specific need other than improving the attractiveness of the product, for example in sweets or chewing gum (…), [titanium dioxide nanoparticles] should be prohibited because they bring no benefit"

• February 2016: AVICENN publishes the book “Nanomaterials and risks to health and the environment – ​​Let's be vigilant! »

In 2015,

• December 2015: AVICENN compiles and relays eleven recommendations from civil society on nanos including the ban on E171

• March 2015: MEP and anti-junk food activist José Bové called for a boycott of food products containing E171, brandishing packets of M&M's and Hollywood chewing gum on a TV set

In 2013,

• June 2013: AVICENN presents its Nano and Power Folder under ANSES nano dialogue committee

in 2010-2011

• AVICENN launches https://veillenanos.fr and informs NGOs and public authorities about nanos

In 2009,

• October 2009: NGOs, including France Nature Environment et Friends of the Earth call for a moratorium on nanoparticles in food as part of the national public debate on nanotechnology

• March 2009: Afssa (now ANSES) calls for caution regarding nanoparticles in food.