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There are some ingredients that just don’t belong together. Toothpaste and coffee. Cereal and orange juice. Sunscreen and, well, anything else. The slightest taste of the skin protectant after application to your face is enough to make anyone cringe. Not only is it a flavor no one craves, it’s also a product no one would imagine to be edible. That’s why discovering that a common sunscreen ingredient has intentionally made its way into our food is so alarming.
Manufacturers have been exposed for adding titanium dioxide – a compound most commonly used to scatter UVA and UVB rays – to their products. Titanium dioxide helps build the signature white hue of mineral based sunscreens. It also acts as a synthetic colorant in an increasing number of foods. Candies, chewing gum, ice cream, frozen pizza, cottage cheese, coffee creamer, jell-o, and even plant-based meat alternatives are among the list of 3,000 edible items containing the chemical.
Aurora Meadows, MS, RD and nutritionist for the Environmental Working Group (EWG), explained that titanium dioxide is used in the same way a primer is used on a wall before you paint it. Manufacturers employ it to make the color of the food, like Skittles, “pop.” The exposed white layer of a chipped Skittle is the titanium dioxide at work.
Though there are no immediate side effects of ingesting titanium dioxide, consumers are concerned with the potential harm of long term consumption. In 2023, a California resident sued the Mars Corporation over heightened levels of titanium dioxide in Skittles.
SEE ALSO: Multiple States Working To Ban Popular Snacks Linked To Cancer
According to the lawsuit, titanium dioxide is an ingredient in United States-manufactured Skittles, but it’s already been removed from the recipe in several European countries. Its continued use in Skittles sold in the US contradicts statements Mars made several years ago regarding its plans to eliminate artificial coloring agents. Although this commitment didn’t initially name titanium dioxide, when the Center for Food Safety contacted the food giant in 2016, Mars indicated that it was one of several ingredients it would remove by 2021. Presently, it is still an ingredient in the fruity candy.
Titanium dioxide is classified as a Group 2B carcinogen – an agent that may be carcinogenic but lacks sufficient animal and human research. This finding was enough to cause pet store supergiant, Petco, to ban products containing it. But, concerns over the risks of titanium dioxide are not just stateside. A scientific panel created by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) – the European counterpart to the Food and Drug Administration – found the additive may also cause DNA damage and cell mutations. As a result, the committee no longer considers it safe for human consumption. In response, the EWG has called on the US Food and Drug Administration to reevaluate its use and consider banning the additive from snack items to which children are especially drawn.
There are a number of popular products that do not contain the chemical. M&M’s, Swedish Fish, Nerds, and Sour Patch Kids to name a few. However, titanium dioxide is easy to avoid by opting for a diet of whole, unprocessed foods.
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