E171, titanium dioxide, is a bright white pigment. In food it was used purely for appearance: making icing, coatings, chewing gum, sweets and some sauces look whiter or more opaque. It adds no flavour and no nutrition.
In 2021 the European Food Safety Authority concluded that titanium dioxide could no longer be considered safe as a food additive, because genotoxicity could not be ruled out. Following that opinion, the EU removed E171 from its list of authorised food additives — it is no longer permitted in food placed on the EU market.
Rules differ elsewhere. Products bought outside the EU, or older imported stock, may still list titanium dioxide or E171 in the ingredients.
Seeing E171 on a pack is a signal to check where the product was made and sold, not a reason to panic about something your child already ate. KidLabel flags E171 as a regulatory alert and links the source so you can read the decision yourself. This is general label information, not medical advice — see our disclaimer.
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